


Passionately Clashing

by KelliDiane



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 09:02:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/672638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelliDiane/pseuds/KelliDiane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall goes to moshing concerts. Louis goes to footie matches.  No one understands why someone like Niall would be going to Louis’ football game, but what people don’t know is that Louis and Niall are in a secret relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Passionately Clashing

**Author's Note:**

> Written with NiallJWhoranx on tumblr. Inspired by an AU Meme that I made for an Anon. We roleplayed this out and then I edited the final product. The smut was written by the co-author. Hope you enjoy! This is the longest thing I've ever written!

Niall bit his pierced lower lip as he walked onto the football field. He never wanted to be within a hundred feet of the school campus during the day so considering it was five in the afternoon after a football match it was a shock to see him.

People stared as he walked across the freshly cut grass. Maybe it was the snakebites and blue gauges or the fact that he was wearing a blue and white Metallica T-shirt with heavily inked arms exposed, that made people look at him. He didn't care either way. He stopped by the white painted sideline.

"Louis!"

Louis nearly choked on his Gatorade when he heard his name being called. He knew that voice.

That voice hardly ever called his name in public. That voice hardly ever wanted to be heard at a school function. That voice was Louis' guilty pleasure and he loved hearing it.

That didn't stop him from being completely surprised though.

"Uhhhh. Hey, Niall. Didn't think you'd be here. Thought you had somewhere else to be."

Niall kept his face blank, devoid of any emotion to keep people from seeing something that he didn't want to be seen.

He had a reputation to uphold and he couldn't do that if he were smiling especially while talking to the captain of the footie team and the school's popular and beloved Jock Louis Tomlinson although the reputation issue worked two ways.

Niall's hands were in the pockets of his skin tight skinny jeans, his tongue absently licking over his left snakebite.

"They cancelled the concert."

Louis let a fleeting smile cross his face before awkwardly coughing into his hand to try and cover up the little slip.

It wasn't that Louis didn't want the boy to be there. In fact he was exceedingly ecstatic that the boy had come to watch the team play, but social hierarchy kind of forbade them from talking or hanging out.

"Shame. You could have used another black eye from being elbowed in the face."

Louis smiled and tried to make it look condescending in hopes that his team mates, whom were now closing in since they had just finished shaking the other team's hands, would think nothing of the strange encounter.

Niall glared at the sneer. Although the two of them knew it was playful, no one else did.

"The lead guitarist for the band broke his arm while they were about to walk on. Cunt couldn't have waited until after to trip over the fucking cable cord." He shook his head groaning.

He looked sideways to see the dirty looks the team was giving him, but he didn't care.

Louis nodded his head. Made sense to cancel a show when your guitarist couldn't play. Something was still bugging Louis though.

School was the last place that Niall ever wanted to be so why was he here?

Sure there was a footie match. Sure the team captain was Niall's secret boyfriend. Sure they loved each other.

But, Niall had never been to one of Louis' games and Louis had never been to one of Niall's shows. Usually, Niall would just climb into Louis' window at god awful hours of the night and cuddle and talk with him before sneaking out once more before the sun.

It really threw Louis off that Niall was standing in front of him on the football pitch, dressed in his concert attire and looking absolutely out of place.

"What are you doing here, Niall? You've never showed up to one of my matches before. Even if you didn't have a concert, you never showed up."

He tried to keep his voice down so the others wouldn't overhear and start asking questions.

Niall's eyes widen in the slightest of ways. He feels his fingers clench at the hem of his old shirt, eyes burning.

He isn't sure how to word it. He doesn't want to upset Louis because how would he react if he told him his dad was at it again? That he had to start on him when he came home four hours earlier than usual.

Bobby was the town drunk and when he had a little too much ale or decided that beer was too weak and he wanted a whiskey, well he got abusive.

Everyone knew that there was some kind of abuse going on but only his mum, brother, and Louis knew the extent of it.

Niall gingerly covered his wrist, purple- almost black- hand prints marred the skin there.

"It's just I've never seen you play and I thought I would. I can leave if you want." The Irish lad frowned as he looked at his white vans.

"You know that's not what I meant. I'm happy that you're here. I'm actually really excited that you came to watch. I just..."

He looked down at his cleats and started trying to kick the dirt off of them.

He wasn't exactly sure how he could word this. How did he word his overwhelming urge to just reach out and tackle the boy and plant small kisses all over the blond's face? How do you explain the bottomless pit of nerves to be perfect for someone when you don't even know how to tell the world that you're in love with someone they deem unworthy of your time?

They had never even told each other that they loved the other. Louis just couldn't find the words so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Guess this means I'll have to go to one of your shows with you sometime. I mean, if you want me to that is..."

Niall shrugs his shoulders because he's unsure. He isn't up to letting Louis in his life like that just yet.

"Wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to be messed up."

He bit the inside of his cheek hoping he might get the message.

It's not that he doesn't want him there, he does. It's just music is his way of escaping reality. He doesn't have to worry about his dad when the bass hits the song. He doesn't have to care about his reputation when he listens to the riff tearing through the air.

Music is him. If he were to take Louis he may as well be naked and confessing his love. It makes him feel vulnerable and that when he's caught in the moment, head bopping or hips swaying, he feels exposed.

Music saved him.

Louis can hear the hesitation in Niall's voice at Louis' offer to go to a show. He just smiles softly and laughs lightly.

"This pretty face is the one who got red carded twice last season for fighting on the pitch. I can handle myself thank you. But whenever you want me there, I'll be there."

He hoped that Niall understood. He wanted to be there for the boy and show him that he wanted to get to know that side that Niall never seemed to want to explore, but only when the blond was ready.

He could understand the hesitation. Louis had been the same way about football for the longest time. It was his coping mechanism for when his dad left, for when Jay couldn't pay the bills, for when Lottie and Fizz were made fun of in school...

He knew that music played a huge role in Niall's life and when Niall was ready to open up to him, he'd be ready and willing to listen.

"Your friends are glaring so maybe I should go."

He saw Harry and Liam hanging off to the side waiting for him and Zayn tapping his foot impatiently.

"I need to shower and change and then talk to coach about a few trick plays, but I shouldn't take long. Wait for me here? I really miss Maura so maybe we can go see her."

"Yeah I'll wait...oh and fuck off!"

Niall shouts the last part out, tone shrouded in mock anger as well as frustration. He had to play it up for his friends. Soon after he walked off the grass and towards the parking lot to wait.

Louis watched as Niall stalked away. He didn't have the heart to shout anything back after hearing how defeated the boy sounded.

It was Harry's voice that pulled him back to the present and back into the world of jocks and cheerleaders.

"He's such a cunt."

The Cheshire lad growled while Liam and Zayn voiced their agreement.

He scoffed. "Agreed. I swear he was drunk or something. Fucking prick is what he is."

It was always easier to insult Niall when he wasn't there to hear it. Louis hated how easy it was for him to just slip back to insults and he truly feared slipping up in front of Niall and calling the boy something unforgivable.

"Let's get down to the locker room. My head has a hot date with my pillow and I'm already running late."

He pushed past the three and started ahead of them towards the locker room.

"No, no Tommo. We three have plans and you're coming."

Liam is smirking as he says it, his gym bag hitting his side. Zayn who usually remains quiet talked.

"There's a party at Josh's and only the popular kids are going."

"If you don't come that says a lot about you."

Harry added although he meant that the statement applied to everyone.

"What's more important Lou? Your pillow or your reputation?"

They usually had to pressure him because recently he hadn't been partying much and that said a lot.

Louis sighed heavily. "Not tonight, mates. I'm really beat. I just want to go home and sleep. Why can't we party tomorrow night instead? That way we can nurse the hangover at church or something."

He had to get out of this party. Friday nights were the nights where he hung out with Niall. Sometimes he'd have to wait up for Niall to get home for a concert, but tonight it was just Niall and him.

"I promise. Tomorrow we'll get so piss drunk that we can't even tell up from down. Sound like a plan?"

He quickly stripped down and grabbed his towel and soap and waited for his mates so they could continue the conversation in the showers.

The other three stripped and got into their own shower stalls.

"We don't want to get drunk tomorrow we want to get drunk tonight." Harry emphasized the last word as he began to run shampoo through his curly hair.

"Plus we never hang out Friday's. You can have your date tomorrow." He assured with a small roll of his eyes.

"There's a reason we never hang out on Friday's. Come on, you guys have got to be tired. If you sleep tonight, you can drink more tomorrow."

He was running out of ideas on how to turn them down. One could only fake a family emergency so many times before people started to notice.

"Besides, maybe I already have plans with a hot someone and am just trying to not let your sorry selves know."

Harry quirked an eyebrow as shampoo ran over it, dripping down his forehead. "I know that's a lie because you are never around girls."

Zayn and Liam again agreed. They were both rinsing off their hair.

"You have no excuse. Besides this party is supposed to be big and we need to make an appearance."

Louis finished washing his hair and quickly scrubbed away at the sweat and grime from the game.

"I didn't say she was from the school did I? Maybe I met her somewhere else. I do have other friends, you know?"

Perhaps he could tell them he'd go and just never show up. He could always say he was going to drop his gear off at home and he 'conveniently' fell asleep. That could work.

"But you're right. I don't have a hot date tonight. I'll go. I'll just stop by my house first and drop my cleats and stuff off and then I'll meet you guys at Josh's. Deal?"

"Fine, ya wanker." Harry sighed.

"Great. Gotta go. See ya then."

Louis quickly rinsed himself off and jumped out of the shower stall and dried himself off before making his way over to his locker.

He changed into his usual after game outfit- grey sweats, one of Niall's jumpers he had found when they first started dating, his red TOMS, and a beanie over his messy hair.

He headed into the bathroom and over to the mirrors and took his contacts out and replaced them with his glasses before shoving everything in his duffel and running out to his car.

Meanwhile Niall was sitting on the hood of Louis' car.

He's looking at the ugly bruise around his wrist, one hand rubbing against it. He winced and hissed from in between parted lips because fuck that hurt. His skin was ultra sensitive.

Louis slowed down as he neared his vehicle and took in the sight of his boyfriend sitting there. He noticed that the blond seemed to be cradling his wrist and he watched as the boy winced.

Something wasn't right here.

He cleared his throat to get Niall's attention so as not to startle him.

"You ready to go?"

Niall still jumped in surprise. He let his wrist fall as he got up and walked to the passenger side of the car.

"Yeah but...can we go to your house?"

The tough exterior had melted away and was replaced with an almost childish insecurity. His hand was on the handle of the car nonetheless waiting to be able to slip in and quite possibly attack him.

Louis nodded and unlocked the doors. When Niall asked to go to his house, Louis put two and two together.

He opened the back door and tossed his bag inside before closing the door and getting in the driver's seat.

"Niall, is... Is your wrist okay? You were kind of... Protecting it when I got here."

Louis didn't really want to talk about this. He didn't want have to hear the horrible things that Niall had to go through. He just wanted to wrap him up in his arms and hold him close forever.

Niall resigned himself knowing that Louis knew. The recognition on his face and in his eyes was enough.

He draped his arm over Louis' knees. He was going to let the boy examine it.

"It wasn't that bad. It just sort of happened. I was being disrespectful. I deserved it." He whispered the last part.

He bit his lip and looks out the window, afraid that he might start to cry.

Louis looked up at the boy's words.

"Niall, look at me. You never deserve what he does to you. You do not deserve this. No one deserves this, but especially not you. You deserve so much more than what your mum, your brother, or I could ever be able to give you. You deserve the world, Niall, and I'll try my best to give it to you."

Niall felt his chest tighten. He loved Louis for trying to make him feel better.

Yeah he was in love with the older male, but he never said it. He was more than afraid to say it. He was positive that Louis liked him, but he didn't love him and he didn't want to ruin this.

Louis leaned over and pressed his lips against the blond boy's hoping that Niall listened to him. Niall pushed his lips back against Louis; his hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He pulled back quickly and began looking at his wrist.

"I'm not a doctor or anything, but I don't think it's broken. Just some major bruising and a little swelling. Might be a sprain. We can ice it and wrap it once we're at my place."

"Well I can move it so I'm guessing it’s not broken."

Louis smiled lightly. He laced his fingers with Niall's as best he could without jarring the injured area.

"Come on. Let's get you to my place."

With that, he started the car and did his best to steer the car one handed out of the parking lot and onto the road.

He watched as his teammates piled into cars with their girls and sped out heading to Josh's place. He was glad that he had Niall to keep him company for the night instead of having to take care of drunken Harry while Liam helped Zayn.

This was Louis' typical Friday and he loved every second of it.

Niall groaned a bit when the seat belt rubbed against his chest.

His good hand reached up to rub at it. He had just gotten a new tattoo that day which was why he hadn't shown up to school.

He took out the carton of cigarettes he had and pulled his hand out of Louis' to light it.

He inhaled deeply when the smoke entered his lungs and blew it out. He knew his boyfriend hated the habit.

Louis sighed heavily as Niall lit his cigarette in his car. It's not so much that Louis had a problem with Niall smoking, but it was hard to explain to Harry why his car always smelled like smoke. Especially since Liam drove Zayn everywhere and Zayn had promised to never smoke in their cars.

Another reason it bothered him was the taste of it when Niall would kiss him afterwards. He loved the feel of Niall's lips on his, but the taste of smoke was just not appealing.

He glanced over to his mirror to check that the road was clear and saw Niall rubbing at his chest.

"You okay? Did he..." How does one say this delicately? "Hurt you anywhere else?"

Niall pulled the cigarette away from his lips and blew it out into the open air. He shook his head at Louis' question.

"Nah, just me wrist."

He shrugged his shoulders and finished the first fag throwing it out the car window.

He reached to grab another one, but thought better of it and instead intertwined their fingers together once more.

Louis took his words at face value and let it go for now and just let the feeling of Niall's hand in his wash over him.

It wasn't much longer until he was parking the car in the driveway and turning the ignition off.

"Jay is out with the girls. Something about wanting some proper girl time without me around. I'll turn my phone off because I know Harry is going to call me a dozen and a half times, but we're home alone and we can do whatever you like."

He hesitantly untangled his fingers from his boyfriend's and started to get out from the car.

Niall pulled Louis back into the car and smashed their lips together before he let go of his shirt.

"Sorry I just never get to do that during the day."

He quickly got out of the car and stood on the front porch waiting for Louis to unlock the door.

Louis sat there a little stunned for a moment before a grin broke out over his face.

He quickly grabbed his sports bag from the back seat and locked his car before heading up the small steps to front door.

Opening his house he walked in and kicked a few pairs of shoes under the table by the door and a few of the twins' toys out of the walk way.

He ushered Niall inside and closed the door behind the boy.

"Make yourself at home. I need to get my uniform in the wash before mum yells at me for leaving it to fester again. You know where everything is."

Niall nodded his head and walked up the stairs and to Louis' bedroom.

He turned the knob and entered, his fingers searching the wall. Sudden light flooded the room.

Niall closed the door behind him and was quick to shed his shirt although he hissed at the movement of his wrist.

He looked to his chest to see the large bandage. Slowly the blond removed it.

His arms are littered but he's never had his chest done before and it’s a new painful territory he can't wait to ink up.

Its large curved letters in black of course. 'Fear is my sanctuary, love is my freedom.’ There are little curved lines spiraling out in red, Louis' favorite color.

Louis managed to get his uniform in the wash and started without breaking the machine (a huge feat for him). He placed his cleats on the dirty towel so as not to track dirt in the house before heading to the kitchen.

He grabbed a ziplock bag and filled it halfway with ice and wrapped it in a kitchen towel as he headed up the stairs. Passing the linen closet, he managed to snag the ACE bandage he used when he got a footie injury and finally made his way to his room.

Opening the door as best he could, he was greeted with Niall's shirtless back and the blond looking down at his own chest.

"Staring at yourself, Ni? Didn't think you were that conceited." He quipped hoping to ease the slight tension in the atmosphere.

Niall laughed softly and turned around.

His eyes were still transfixed on his torso, fingertips brushing over the ink only for him to wince.

"Still sore."

He mumbled before he climbed into Louis' bed, his legs sprawling out as his back hit the comforter.

Louis smiled softly. A new tattoo. He read it over and over again as he watched Niall spread across his bed.

He climbed onto the bed next to the boy and sat up and began wrapping the bandage around the swollen area. It was pretty bad and Louis knew that he had to wrap it pretty tight so that swelling could go down.

He wrapped it as tight as he could, hoping Niall wasn't in too much pain. His boy got tattoos and had needles pierce his skin almost constantly. Pain should be nothing for him.

Niall frowned as the bandage was wrapped around, but it didn't hurt. He was used to it all by now.

He piled his pillow and the matching sham under the wrist to elevate it and to get the blood rushing in the other direction before he couldn't handle it anymore.

"What is supposed to mean? 'Fear is my sanctuary, love is my freedom'? I don't get it."

"Fear is my comfort, my home. It's all I know. It’s my false escape, but love is my true escape because it's unbound the chains."

He kept himself from looking over at Louis when he said the word love.

Truthfully the tattoo was inspired by the brunet although he didn't know that.

His father was his sanctuary, Louis was his freedom.

Louis stared at the new addition. He wanted to run his fingers over the new ink and memorise every twist and turn of the letters, but it's still pink around the edges and Louis knew it was still too new to touch without causing Niall discomfort.

He laid down next to his boyfriend and let his head fall to rest in the crook of Niall's torso and arm. He cuddled up close so that his front was pressed against Niall's side and he let his arm drape across the hips of the boy.

It was quiet in the house and the outside street was just as quiet except for when a car drove past.

This was a perfect Friday night for Louis.

"What are you up for? I can order us dinner and we can watch a movie. Or we can spend the rest of the night comparing artists we like until we realise that we'll never have a common musical interest."

Niall laughed softly at his boyfriend's words.

"I love the Beatles. Now that's something everyone can agree on."

"Erm. I actually don't really like the Beatles. I know, I know. I'm a horrible Englishman."

Harry had told him many times that he wasn't even British because of his hatred for the classic band.

He kissed Louis' forehead, lips lingering for a moment before he pulled away, frowning.

"I can't believe it. I can't talk to you."

He shook his head and rolled onto his side arms pulled into his chest.

Although there was a playful smile on his face because he wouldn't be mad at him for something like that.

"You're such a drama queen, Horan." Louis said through a smile. "Besides, I much prefer The Beach Boys. Much better music."

"A cuddle and a movie sound good."

The Irish teen murmured quietly before he remembered something.

"What about me wrist?"

"Your wrist should be fine. Just keep it slightly elevated and put the ice on it to help reduce the swelling. Movie and cuddling it is. Do you want me to order food or anything?"

He got up from his bed and made his way over to his DVD collection, hoping there was a movie they could agree on.

He grabbed the first DVD he could get his hands on and popped it into the player on the television stand across from his bed.

He climbed in behind Niall and pulled the boy flush against his chest so that they could both see the screen.

The opening menu came up and Louis saw that he picked Lord of the Rings.

"Hope this okay. I didn't really take time to look at what I picked." He whispered into Niall's ear and pressed his lips to the back of the blond's neck.

"I actually like this movie. I like fantasy."

He placed his hand over the brunet's squeezing his hand.

Niall loved the kiss to his neck. He pressed his back farther into the brunette's chest.

"Louis?"

He mumbled. He felt the words on the tip of his tongue ready to spill out his mouth but he was able to control himself.

"I love this movie."

He found himself saying.

"I'm glad I picked a winner on accident then." Louis whispered.

He let his fingers rub soft circles on the skin right above Niall's waistline and watched as the movie started.

Niall sighed as he felt Louis' hand rubbing into his abdomen.

He finally decided that tonight would be the night. He was going to get the courage to tell Louis that he was in love with him.

He just needed to find the right moment and the right way to do it.

Niall didn't know why he randomly wanted to tell him. Maybe it was the way Louis was holding him or the way he was kissing him.

Louis wouldn't be concentrating on the movie much with the blond in his arms. It was like Niall was the only thing in focus when they were this close together.

He wished they could be this way at school. The odd, cute couple that people cooed over and wondered how they got together.

He had been wanting to bring it up to Niall, but how do you tell someone you want your relationship to be public when you can't even tell them that you love them?

Louis was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he lost track of everything. When he did come out of his thoughts, he noticed that the movie had moved along to the birthday party and he had no clue if Niall had fallen asleep or not.

The blond hadn't moved since the start of the movie, but that could be because he was actually watching it.

He sighed and dragged his fingers up Niall's abdomen and up his arm to trace the tattoos that marked him there.

He swallowed nervously and whispered Niall's name in case the boy had fallen asleep.

Niall swiveled his head around to look at the boy.

"I'm awake." He laughed softly knowing that the older boy was checking to see if he had fallen asleep.

He felt his heart flutter and he knew he was going to tell him soon not thinking about the consequences.

Louis felt his face heat up at being caught. "Wasn't sure if you were. You hadn't really moved since the beginning of the movie."

He took advantage of Niall having his head turned towards him and leaned down to capture his boyfriend's lips with his own.

Niall kissed back pressing their lips together forcefully. His long skinny fingers pulled and tugged at the soft brown fringe. He plunged his tongue in between Louis' lips, licking at the roof of his mouth. Their chests were impossibly close when Niall turned over to get a better angle.

After a few minutes Niall pulled back, breath ragged and shallow.

"I love you."

Niall says without thinking and his heart stopped, body going rigid.

Louis froze as he heard those words tumble from Niall's lips.

It had to be a slip of the tongue. Niall was too caught up in the moment and just said something that he hadn't meant.

Louis hoped to god that wasn't what just happened.

"W-what did you say?"

Niall hesitated not sure which option would be better for their relationship.

"I...I said I love you."

He sucked in a harsh breath; eyes shut tightly waiting for some kind of blow up or freak out that he wasn't prepared for.

His hands fiercely gripped Louis' hoping that it would remain there and that his boyfriend would instead twine their fingers or kiss him or something.

Louis just laid there for a second or two as he tried to process what was just said.

Niall told him he loved him.

Niall was frozen. Louis wasn't saying anything. His eyes were blown wide but that was it.

Louis could feel the large grin absolutely taking over his face. He squeezed Niall's hand tightly before rolling them over so that he was completely on his back with Niall lying on top of him.

He leaned his head forward and kissed Niall as quickly and meaningfully as he could.

"You have no clue how long I've wanted to hear you say that. I love you too, Niall."

He leaned down and kissed Louis full on his heart swelling.

"I love you," the blonde repeated, loving how good it felt to say that.

"Yeah, you said that already." Louis replied playfully as he ran his hands up and down Niall's back.

He stared up into Niall's eyes and let himself get lost in the ice blue pools staring back at him.

"Do you remember the first time we met back in Year Nine?"

"Yeah I already had my left arm covered in tattoos."

Niall laughed as all the memories came washing back. "You walked out of the school during lunch and you saw me smoking but you didn't even know me."

He could remember all too well the lecture he had gotten from the total stranger.

Louis laughed lightly. "I believe I told you that you were harming yourself and you needed a better way to relieve your emotions."

He chuckled. "God I was such a judgmental twat. Why did you even respond to that? I would have decked myself."

He shook his head in minor disappointment in himself. That was the year he started hanging with Harry, Liam, and Zayn and started becoming an insufferable cunt.

"I was going to hit you but I decided not to. I did call you a cunt though and your face turned so red."

Niall laughed quite loudly actually at the memory of an angry Lou.

"We fucking hated each other and then one day it was raining and I was walking home. You were too, but you had an umbrella and you shared with me."

He smiled and kissed the Doncaster lad lovingly.

Louis smiled into the kiss.

"You just looked like someone had kicked your puppy. You hair was all wet and hanging in your face and your concert shirt was clinging to you and you just looked so upset."

He drifted away into the memory for a moment. He remembered everything about Niall that day.

The blond had been wearing a black 'Master of Puppets' shirt and his red and black Supras had made a horrible squishing noise as he walked. He remembered the shock of blond that clung to his forehead and the dark brown sides that needed to be dyed back. He remembered watching as Niall had dejectedly pulled out a red snapback from his backpack.

"I couldn't help it. You just looked like you needed a friend. Who knew that a small friendship would turn into this?"

Niall smiled at the memory because it was actually his father who had upset him that morning.

But he remembered what happened with Louis with more clarity than any other memory.

Louis had walked alongside him his pace quick like he had been trying to catch up with him.

Niall sneered when he saw who it was, rain pelting his back.

Louis pulled on a cherry red umbrella and watched it pop open. He held it above their heads and Niall couldn't help but blurt

"What the fuck are you doing you preppy cunt?"

Niall quoted laughing at how everything turned out.

Louis joined in on the laughter. "I wasn't even preppy! I was wearing red trousers with a black and white striped shirt."

That had been his favourite outfit back then. He chuckled lightly at the fact that his wardrobe had matured little in the time between.

He smiled as he thought of something else. "Remember the first time we kissed?"

"Yeah. It was a week after the umbrella incident."

Niall had been walking home, which was odd because every major thing that happened to them involved walking (Niall informed Louis of this after).

The rain showers of fall were turning into the icy winds of winter almost overnight.

There was no snow but there was a definite chill. The blonde was walking wearing a G'N'R hoodie but his teeth still chattered.

Louis had got up and neither of them said anything for awhile until randomly Louis looked at him.

'Are you cold?'

'No shit you fucking git.'

'Let me warm you up.'

And before he could respond their tongues were already halfway down each others throats.

Niall laughed.

"Again, why did you not deck me or something? I mean, I was basically a stranger shoving my tongue down your throat."

Niall shrugged. "Maybe I didn't deck you because I knew who you were so you weren't a complete stranger and you're fucking hot. Now that I think back on this, I realized that I was the cunt.”

Louis smiled brightly and ran his hand up and down Niall's arm and took pleasure in the small shiver that had Niall squirming.

"We've both had our share of being cunts. Like when I wouldn't talk to you for a month because you didn't come see me in the school production because it was your brother's birthday. Not one of my best moments."

"Don't remind me of that. I was so pissed."

"To be fair, it was the only time I had gotten a lead. I was so nervous I nearly vomited. I just wanted you there to calm me down."

Louis sighed. "We weren't even properly dating at that point. It was just make out sessions here in my room or over at your place."

Niall laughed smiling.

"Oh yeah. Do ya remember that after you got voted captain you kept begging for a blow job, but I wouldn't do it?"

The Irish teen's cheeks flushed red in amusement. Louis was so demanding at the time.

Louis rolled his eyes at his childish behaviour. "That was when I was trying to convince myself that I was in charge of this relationship. See how that worked out."

"We didn't do anything sexual until after you won your first game."

He lazily ran his hands up and down his boyfriend's sides as they recalled all of these memories.

Louis thought back to that first game. It had been in Year Eleven that the team had finally won.

"That was such a great game. Zayn let only two goals past him, everyone worked together for the first time, and I finally scored a winning goal."

His smile faltered.

"The only downside was that you weren't there. I think you had a concert or something that night."

Niall frowned deeply at the look of his face. "I'm sorry. I need to be a better boyfriend."

He genuinely felt bad. Sure he hated school with a passion, but he loved Louis and he needed to overcome whatever he was feeling. Although he knew that he couldn't come because no one could know.

"You're the perfect boyfriend. I know why you weren't there and I know why you couldn't be there."

He hadn't to make Niall feel guilty. Back when it all had happened Louis didn't even realise Niall wasn't there. Now though, every great memory had the blond.

Niall kind of wanted to come out though. He hoped Louis did too because he was sick of having to hide. Sick of not being able to hold his hand, hug him, or kiss him.

"I love you Lou and I kinda...never mind..." He didn't want Louis to feel pressured. He also didn't want his boyfriend to be mad or something.

Louis frowned when Niall hesitated. "Niall, you know you can tell me anything. What are you thinking, babe?"

He rubbed soft circles into his boyfriend's lower back hoping it relaxed the boy.

"I want us to be public, but I understand that football comes first." He assured although he felt his heart ache at the idea of being rejected by his boyfriend. God knows how long he's felt like that because of his dad. His hands rested on Louis' hips while his thumbs massaged the skin.

Louis could feel his heart stop and restart at the thought of them being public.

It was what Louis had always wanted, but now that it was time to make a decision he didn't know what to say.

"I... Niall... Uhhhh..."

He couldn't even respond.

His brain was running through every single possible outcome and each one ended in fear and torment.

He couldn't put Niall through that, even if Niall was the one asking for it.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Trust me, I want the world to know that I love you and we're together. Have you thought about the backlash at all?"

Niall swallowed thickly but he rolled off of Louis and stood on the ground.

The blonde grabbed his shirt and carefully slipped it on, minding his swollen wrist and bandaged chest.

He looked at his boyfriend bitterly. He didn't want to fight, but he was sick and tired of all of it.

"Did you ever think that maybe you only care about your reputation? Don't lie to me because I know you aren't doing this for 'my own good.' You're doing this because you don't want to be unpopular."

Niall shook his head and slipped on his shoes. "By the way my concert wasn't cancelled."

And with that he slammed Louis' bedroom door behind him and jogged down the stairs.

"Niall! Wait!"

He groaned before opening the door and trying to catch up with the blond.

"Niall! Stop right now and come talk to me. Don't walk away from this. You can't just say stuff like that and then leave."

He managed to catch up to the boy and grab hold of his good wrist and turned him around to face him.

"And what do you mean the concert wasn't cancelled? You said the guitarist broke his arm."

Louis was so confused. He didn't know whether to be angry at Niall for not believing him or if he should be overjoyed at the fact Niall gave up a concert just to see him play. He was just so damn confused right now.

"The concert wasn't cancelled. I genuinely wanted to see you play."

Niall ripped his arm out of Louis' grasp and took a couple of steps backward creating distance between them.

"I'm sick and fucking tired. I'm done being the one to sacrifice everything. I've done enough to prove that I love you but what have you done for me? Nothing! When your friends call me names you laugh! When you pass by me you have to glare. You make me feel like shit. I only pretended that I didn't want to come out for you!"

He screamed absolutely seething. His hands were curled into fists.

"My father may beat me, but it’s you that makes me feel worthless."

Louis saw red. He was standing in his own home and being yelled at like he was a five year old by his guest.

"You're tired? Do you even know how many times I have to listen to my best friend talk shit about you and call you degrading names that apply to both of us? Do you think I like sitting through his rants about how people like you and I are freaks? Every time, I have to bite my tongue to not say anything because I know that they won't take it out on me. Sure, I might lose a friend or two, but I'm not the one whose life is going to be hell on earth if they find out.

"I'll still have football. I'll still have the non homophobic athletes. Who will you have Niall? No one. Because you won't let anyone in. You just walk around that building like nothing affects you and one day it's going to come back and bite you in the ass."

Louis was so angry that he had tears pooling in his eyes. He didn't want to cry and have Niall laugh at him for being an over emotional git. He just couldn't stop though.

"You know what? If I really make you feel all that worthless, then maybe you should leave. I was supposed to go to a party tonight anyway."

Niall was quiet for a moment. He took everything Louis said to him.

His bottom lip quivered and without hesitation he let the tears roll down his cheeks.

"You're right. I have no one. Maybe because everyone I do let in hurt me. You've just proven that. I'm used to being less important. My father loves alcohol more than me; you love popularity more then me. It's good to know where I stand now before this pointless relationship went any further. I'm done and we're done. It’s over."

He opened the front door into the pouring rain, because of course it had to rain. The world hated him. That much was obvious.

"I wish good luck to the next person you get involved with. I hope he isn't so pathetic. I was too pathetic and worthless for someone like you, but I'm the idiot for not seeing it coming. I may shut people out, but unlike you I don't make them feel loved and then utterly break them."

Niall slammed the door behind him and began his long trek home being instantly soaked in seconds.

Louis watched as Niall disappeared from his home. He wanted to run after him and hold him and whisper how much he loved over and over to the blond.

Instead, he let he knees buckle and found himself face first on the hardwood floor. He curled into himself and just sobbed uncontrollably.

He grabbed the hem of the jumper he was wearing and harshly ripped the article from his body. The jumper was Niall's and he couldn't be around that right now.

He just let himself cry himself to sleep right there in the entry way of his home.

\------Three Months Later------

Niall sighed as he got out of bed. He looked into the mirror to see the newest black eye and he had no makeup to cover it.

The worst part was that he did didn't get it from his dad he got it from his boyfriend Sean.

In the past three months he had come out with Sean, who was popular and on the football team, well nothing changed. Sean was treated the same, but even Niall's former bullies like Zayn, Harry, and Liam were nice to him.

He didn't get the sudden change in behavior but he was happy although Sean had recently started to get violent.

This was the first time though that Sean hit where clothes wouldn't cover it.

Niall looks at the tattoo on his neck. It was in large letters for people to read. He had gotten it done because of Louis. He was hoping the lad knew who it was dedicated to.

'My smile is as fake as your promises.'

\------------

Louis groaned as he thought of another day trapped in school where he had to watch Sean snog the hell out of his ex.

After Sean and Niall had come out as a couple, Louis had been extremely rude to both of them.

He took pleasure in yelling at Sean for every little mistake on the field, had the boy running extra laps because he was two minutes late to practice, anything that meant he hurt his teammate.

Three weeks ago, Sean had cornered him in the locker room and demanded to know why Louis suddenly hated him.

That's when Louis told him.

He told Sean that Niall and he used to date. Told him that they'd had a nasty breakup. Told him that he still loved the Irish lad.

He apologised and did his best to steer clear of the couple, but Sean's locker was across the hall from his and it was impossible to go a day with seeing Niall pressed against the metal snogging the hell out of his friend.

Louis took a deep breath and got up to get ready for the day. It was a little chilly out now that winter was approaching so he knew he needed to start dressing warmly.

He opened his closet and began shuffling through his clothes looking for a jumper. He found Niall's old one hanging in the back.

Without thinking, he grabbed it and pulled it on over top of his Man U shirt.

He finished getting ready and let his mind wander back to the blond.

He had new tattoos since Louis and he broke up. Little mindless doodles unless you were Niall and knew their significance. The one that stood out the most though was the new one on his neck.

Louis just knew it was about him. It was Niall's way of slapping the boy who broke him across the face.

Louis suddenly didn't feel much like going to school, but with exams fast approaching, he didn't have a choice.

Throwing on some sweats, a pair of TOMS, a beanie, and his glasses, he headed out to his car and to school.

\------------

Niall arrived at school and was already standing at Sean's locker. He couldn't afford to be late. Last time he was late his boyfriend slapped him as soon as no one was around.

He looked down at his feet, afraid Sean might be mad when he sees the violet purple bruise that hadn't been concealed.

He saw a pair of shoes in front of him and knew who they belonged to. He looked up to see his boyfriend.

"Hi."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Sean hissed loudly as he gripped Niall's wrist harshly- the one that never healed properly.

The blond shrunk down as he looked fearfully at him.

"I-I...there was no more makeup..."

He stuttered quietly.

\------------

Louis locked his car and headed inside the building. Harry, Liam, and Zayn were quickly joining him and the four were laughing hysterically at something that had been said.

They ended up at Louis' locker and the brunet was so caught up in his conversation and getting his books that he almost didn't see Niall and Sean.

"Looks like Cullen had to put the bitch in his place again." Harry said quietly and Liam and Zayn burst into laughter.

Louis frowned as he took in the black eye and the hand that was quickly turning red as if it wasn't getting enough blood to it.

He couldn't just stand there and let that happen, but what was he supposed to do?

"Hey, Horan! Go to another concert last night? Looks like someone got you good in the eye. Maybe you should lay off the moshing for a bit."

Niall's hand ached. It was flaring quickly and he wasn't sure how much pressure it would withstand.

Sean shot a glare over to the four boys, eyes narrowed as he looked absolutely pissed.

"Niall doesn't go to concerts anymore and that metal is coming out of his face as well."

The blond dropped his gaze to the floor closing his eyes for a moment.

"He accidentally fell down the stairs and got a black eye. He's so accident prone he gets hurt on the daily."

Niall neither confirmed nor denied knowing to keep his mouth shut.

Niall didn't go to concerts anymore? That definitely didn't seem like something the blond would even consider.

And Niall was never that accident prone when they were together. In fact, it was always Louis who would trip and fall. Niall usually just laughed at him and helped him up.

He looked at the boy and tried so hard to get him to look up at him. He needed to talk to him alone, but how?

"That sucks. Must have hurt like hell." Louis shrugged. "Niall, want to walk with me to maths since we both have it first?"

Niall looked up at him confused before he looked up to Sean.

"Sean, can I walk with Louis?"

"Since you asked so nicely. No funny business."

With that Sean walked off. Niall turned to look at the brunet with uncertainty before he started to walk down the corridor in the direction of their maths class.

Louis said goodbye to the other three boys and hurried off down the hall to Niall. He finally caught up and walked next to the boy.

Seeing his chance, he hip checked Niall and pushed him into an empty classroom they were passing. He quickly ran in and shut and locked the door behind him before flipping the lights on.

He turned to face Niall with an angry expression on his face. "What the hell is going with you and Sean, Niall?"

Niall flinched. Since he'd been with Sean he had become more fragile. He was much quieter and even the slightest movements made him flinch with fear. His blue eyes were wide as he looked up at angry boy afraid he was going to strike out.

He grabbed a pencil and paper from his things and quickly scribbled a message on it before he handed it to him.

'Do I have permission to speak?'

Louis furrowed his brows before taking the paper from Niall. His patience was wearing thin.

"Stop with these stupid games and just talk to me! I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you let me."

He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. This is what Louis was talking about three months ago. Niall wasn't letting him in.

"I'm not playing a game. If I don't ask for permission to speak I'll get in trouble."

He spoke quietly looking at his hands. His voice sounded weird because that was the longest sentence he said at once in the past month and a half.

"And you look pissed. I just wanted to follow the rules so you don't hurt me."

He really had changed but he refused to acknowledge that.

Louis felt himself break a little as Niall explained himself.

"You know I wouldn't hurt you, Niall. Not intentionally at least. I'm just really worried about you."

He hesitantly reached out and took the hand that Sean has been crushing earlier. The wrist was starting to bruise and a little bit of swelling has already occurred.

Ironic that they were in the same situation as the last time they spoke to each other: hiding from everyone and the one person that would hurt Niall, with an injury to the blond's wrist. Times hadn't changed a bit.

"Let me take you to the nurse's station. See if she has any ice and an ACE wrap for your wrist."

He didn't move though. He stood there and stared at the broken boy before lacing their fingers together. A soft smile tugged at his lips.

Niall looked at their hands. He always thought that their fingers fit perfectly in the spaces but Louis didn't love him anymore. Sean did.

The blond dropped his hand and let it fall to his side as he looked to the ground.

"I'm dating Sean."

He reminded. Niall would never cheat. Especially on Sean considering he'd probably end up in a hospital on life support.

He got to his feet and looked at the brunet.

"Nurse?"

Niall never explicitly told Louis what was going on with Sean so he was able to not feel guilty, but he spoke. He wasn't supposed to because he had to get permission from Sean and Sean only.

Louis sighed. Niall was right. He was dating Sean and as much as Louis hated it, he had no proof that Sean was being anything but a loving boyfriend to Niall...

Well, not information that couldn't be deemed circumstantial.

"Yeah. Let's go." He unlocked the door, but paused before opening it. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

Niall looked up at Louis eyes gleaming with tears. He wanted so badly to tell him but he couldn't. He needed to keep both of them safe. "You fucked that up three months ago remember?"

He pushed past Louis and out the door walking down the hall and turning a corner to get to where they were going quickly.

It felt like Niall just stabbed him straight through the heart. He tried to compose himself quickly and headed after Niall.

Louis didn't need Niall to tell him what was going on. He could figure it out for himself. Maybe Harry, Liam, and Zayn knew what was going on.

Didn't matter. All Louis knew was that Sean was going to pay at practice for hurting Niall like this.

Niall entered the office holding the door open for Louis.

He walked up to the woman and smiled kindly. The school nurse was in her 60's and could be hard at hearing. Niall showed her his wrist and she gasped before standing up.

"I'm a bit old I'm afraid let me get someone younger."

Niall and Louis were then left in the room once again alone the tension thick.

Louis just wanted the uneasy feeling to go away. He wanted to be able to have a conversation with Niall with out screaming and yelling and flaring emotions.

He said the only thing he could think of hoping to get the boy to laugh or smile or something.

"Did you know that Harry sleeps in thongs?"

And just like that, Louis knew he was the dumbest person ever.

Niall burst out laughing. He was doubled over and holding his sides. His face went cherry red and he forgot all about how painful his wrist was.

It took him a few moments to finally calm down although he was grinning.

"You're still the only person who can make me laugh."

He didn't know what he was doing but he reached one tattooed arm up, his pale fingers wrapping round Louis' neck and pulling him forward.

His legs were parted for the boy to stand between before he smashed their lips together.

To say Louis was shocked was an understatement. Niall was the one who reminded him that the blond was taken and now he was kissing him?

Not that Louis minded of course...

He pulled back from the kiss reluctantly and stared down into Niall's eyes. "What about Sean?"

Niall's eyes widened. "Oh my God. Holy shit I'm sorry! Please don't tell him. Oh my God he's going to beat me for sure!"

He cried before he realized what he had said. He slapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head.

"You didn't hear that! You can't tell anyone!" He begged.

"I knew it! Niall, you have to break up with him. You can't let this happen anymore. Where's the rough and tough, witty sarcastic boy I fell in love with?"

Louis dropped to his knees so he could be eye level with the boy in the chair. "Please, Niall. I lost you once, but at least I could still see you in school. I don't want to lose you again to something more permanent."

He knew he sound a bit dramatic, but there was no telling how far Sean would go. Coupled with the fact that his father probably still beat him as well, Louis was worried that Niall wouldn't make it to graduation.

Niall didn't even care whether he was with Sean or not. He grabbed Louis' face and pressed their lips together. His long fingers ran through dark brown fringe before he pulled away.

"You do care." Niall cried burying his nose into the crook of Louis' neck.

Louis could feel the tears soaking the collar of the jumper he was wearing. "Of course I care. I don't want to see you hurt ever. That's what I was trying to tell you three months ago."

He sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around the boy's back, but gently since he wasn't sure of the damage under the clothing.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but please, babe. Tell me what he did. I'll kick his ass." He whispered into the boy's ear.

Niall pulled back and got to his feet. He shakily removed his shirt, head lowering in shame. He felt so utterly weak and vulnerable. The bell rang signaling second period.

"I'm so ugly." He whispered wrapping his own pale arms around his bruised and battered body.

Louis stared in horror at bruises, large and small, littering his torso. Some were yellow and close to fading and others were purple-ish black and fairly newly. He ghosted his hands over a few trying not to apply pressure and cause Niall any pain.

"You're not ugly. You're beautiful." Louis murmured before leaning forward and placing light kisses on some of the more nastier bruises.

The sound of teenagers mucking around in the halls was merely background noise and Louis paid no heed to the bells urging him to get to class.

Niall pulled his shirt on and waited when the nurse brought bad an office aid.

He wrapped Niall's wrist in white gauze smiling at the two of them when he finished.

"You're free to go now boys."

Louis thanked the two adults for their help before grabbing his backpack and Niall's and heading out to the hall.

It was mostly empty seeing as the late bell would be ringing any second. He thought about heading to Biology when he realised that would mean leaving Niall.

"You feeling up for class or do you want to do something else? I'm pretty much free until footie practice."

Louis should head to class since he was borderline failing, but he'd rather stay with Niall if that's what the blond wanted.

"We have lunch next I'll be fine."

The blond assured hesitantly kissing Louis, still not sure whether the older male was okay with that. He pulled away and grabbed his backpack, pulling it over his shoulder.

Louis smiled brightly. He was never going to get over the fact that Niall was kissing him again. He had missed the feeling of his lips against the blond's more than he'd care to admit.

"Okay... Are you going to sit with Sean or no? I don't think I can even look at him without wanting to kill him right now."

He wasn't exactly sure where Sean, Niall, and he stood right now. Technically Sean and Niall were still dating, Niall and Louis had exchanged a few kisses and Sean was still out of the loop. He didn't know what going on, but he'd support Niall in whatever his decision ended up being.

Niall took a breath and grabbed Louis' pinky with his own.

"I want to break up with him, but I can't do it alone. He might beat me."

"I'll be right there with you. Don't worry. He won't touch you."

He bit his lip before he thought of something. Something he needed confirmation on. "I'll only break up with him on one condition."

He stopped and looked over at the Irishman. A condition? Niall needed out of that relation without any conditions.

He sighed. "What is it?"

"Promise me that when I break up with him we can give 'us' another shot?"

Niall anxiously tapped his foot against the tile floor while his hands knotted in the hem of his purple V-neck.

He hoped to God that Louis would want to get back together. He missed holding his hand, hugging, and kissing him.

"That's your condition? I thought it would actually be something hard."

Louis pulled Niall into a hug. "Of course. And this time, we'll be public. I don't ever want anyone else to even think that you're single."

He pulled back far enough to press his lips lightly against the blond's.

Niall smiled brightly because really he was fully prepared to be a secret again. He breaks off the kiss when he feels his lungs burn and the tardy bell ring. "See you at lunch."

And with that he walked down the corridor and towards English. His eye was purple but he was still grinning.

Louis watched as his... Boyfriend? Soon-to-be boyfriend? Friend with benefits? Whatever the hell they, Louis watched as he walked towards his next class and finally just disappeared down another hall.

He couldn't wait for lunch.

\------------

Niall slipped into class not paying attention to the glare the teacher directed to him. He laid his head on his desk unable to concentrate.

When the bell rang he got up ignoring the way his body practically screamed at him. He grabbed his books and was about to walk to the cafeteria when a hand seized his arm.

It was Sean.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sean hissed into Niall's ear.

He tightened his grip on the boy's arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. He managed to pull Niall into the locker room and slammed him against one of lockers.

"I saw you between classes in the nurses station talking to Louis. What was all that about?"

Niall whimpered as his back slammed against the metal. He hated how weak he had become. A month ago his tattoos and piercings intimidated everyone. Sure people would insult him but they never dared touch him.

Sean saw past that though. He saw how vulnerable the blond was and he fed off of it.

"I-I tripped in the hall I landed on me wrist. Louis was just making sure I was okay." He lied so effortlessly nowadays.

"Bullshit. Friends don't get on their knees in front of people." Sean spat at his boyfriend.

He laced his fingers through the blond locks and threw Niall to the ground. Niall looked at Sean confused but he didn't have much time to think as he hit the floor. He cried as his bandaged wrist flared with pain. He cradled the limb to his chest.

"Tell me the truth, Niall. What the hell is going on with you and Louis?"

"What do you mean getting on your knees?! There's nothing going on!"

"I know what I saw! You were sitting in the damn chair and he was on his fucking knees in front of you! You're a fucking slut, Horan."

He raised his foot and brought it down as hard as he could on Niall's ankle enjoying the sound of something cracking as he went.

Niall screamed in pain because fuck that hurt. His wrist was forgotten and of course now he remembered when Louis had got on his knees to console him about his abusive boyfriend.

Without thinking Niall grabbed a heavy textbook and threw it.

He watched it slam into Sean's chest, hard enough to knock him flat on his ass. Sean grunted heavily as the book slammed against him, knocking the wind out of him.

"I told Louis about you hitting me! Oh and we fucking snogged! I kissed him with more passion then I ever will you!"

Niall used the bench to haul himself up. He ignored the immense pain in his ankle as he sprinted out of the locker room.

Sean gained his bearing in time to see Niall move as fast as he could out of the locker room. He quickly got up from where he had fallen and made to run after him.

\------------

Niall probably looked a right mess, his hair ruffled his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. His shirt ripped wide open in the back, the locker having cut it

He was so close to the cafeteria.

\------------

Louis sat in the lunch room waiting for Niall. He didn't think it should take this long to get from English to the cafeteria, but maybe Niall stepped outside to smoke before hand.

He sat there picking at his lunch and only half listening to the conversation going on around him.

Sighing he took out his phone and checked the time. Niall was only seven minutes late, but Louis was still on edge.

He opened a new text and typed: 'Where are you? xx' before selecting Niall's number and hitting send.

Niall felt his phone vibrate and he was going to ignore it but his ankle was exploding with pain.

He looked over his shoulders before he ended up collapsing to his knees his ankle in way too much pain.

He read it and couldn't be more relieved. He didn't have time to text so he just called him.

"Louis! Louis, its Sean!" His voice sounded absolutely hysterical. "He saw us in the office! H-he attacked me and I think me ankle is broken!" He sobbed into the mouthpiece.

\------------

Louis sat there pretending to sound enthralled with Harry's story as he waited for a reply.

When his phone vibrated, he looked down not to see a text, but an incoming call.

"Hey, babe. Wher-?"

He listened in horror as Niall sobbed into the phone.

"Where are you? I'm coming to find you. Keep talking, babe. Tell me where you are."

Louis quickly jumped up and left the table, ignoring the confused and impatient looks of his friends.

\------------

"In front of the cafeteria. Fuck I can hear him coming. I-I can't move!" He sobbed body racking as he cried while his hands shook violently. "I love you, Louis."

He was so afraid. Afraid of who would find him first.

\------------

"I'm coming. Don't worry I'm on my way. I'm across the cafeteria. I'm right here."

He weaved his way through students and tables, trying desperately to make it to the double doors across the room from him.

"I love you, Niall. I love you so much."

He finally made to the doors and cautiously opened the doors. He saw Niall a couple feet away.

He ran to him and pulled into his lap.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I love you."

Niall buried his face into Louis' chest, his hands clawing at the fabric of his shirt. "It hurts so much! Me ankle. Its broken, it’s broken, it’s broken!"

He heard footsteps and looked up to see Sean standing at the other end of the corridor.

"Louis," he whimpered lowly.

"I've got you. He's not going to hurt you anymore. Shhhhh. I got you, babe."

He didn't want to let Niall go, but he had to get Sean away from him at all possible means.

He squeezed Niall tightly before starting to pry the boy off his shirt. Once free, he slipped his jumper off and balled it up and placed it on the floor as sort of a make shift pillow.

Handing Niall his phone, he gave the boy instructions to text Harry a simple 999 and their location. He got up and made his way down the hall towards Sean.

Niall nodded and texted Harry.

'999 outside of the cafeteria.'

Niall sobbed quietly as he rolled the cuff of his Jean up. He hissed as the fabric rubbed against his right ankle.

It looked really bad. It was swollen to twice the size and it was already a violet purple, black in some places.

Louis swallowed nervously as he faced Sean. The kid was taller and stockier than himself and honestly, Louis couldn't fight worth shit.

He locked eyes with Sean. "Come on, I really don't want to fight you. We used to be friends, but this is crossing a line? What were you thinking, man?"

He could feel his heartbeat speed up as Sean's scowl deepened. He thought he heard movement behind him back towards Niall and could only hope it was his mates coming to bail him out of trouble.

Niall forced himself onto his feet and hobbled over standing in between them.

"Don't touch him Sean. If you want to hit someone hit me."

He shakily held Louis' hand in his own.

"I told Sean about the snog in the nurse's office. I sure kissed Louis mate. Fucked him too. Or more like he fucked me." He was trying to get Sean to focus his anger on him and leave Louis alone.

Louis panicked as he heard Niall talking. The blond was now standing next to him and holding his hand tightly. He tried to shoot him looks to tell him to shut up, but Niall just didn't get the message.

"Niall, stop. I'm trying to calm him down." He whispered fiercely into the Irishman's ear.

He could basically see Sean's anger growing and his face was now a right nasty shade of red.

Louis tensed as Sean shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

This was not going to end well.

Niall hadn't realized of course. His eyes widened when he saw the look in Sean's eyes. It was the same look he got every time he hit the blond. He pushed Louis out of the way right when he felt a blow hit his nose.

The blonde was knocked onto his ass. His fingers touched his warm lip and when he looked he saw bright red droplets.

He didn't know if Harry and they got the message but he hoped they hurried up.

Louis was pushed away right as a fist came flying towards him. When he oriented himself, he found Niall on the floor with blood streaming down his face.

Without thinking, he launched himself at Sean. Not weighing much, he only managed to make the lad stumble back a little, but it was enough to stun the larger boy and get a few (weak) punches in.

He heard a door burst open behind them, but he didn't even turn around to see who it was. He just hoped he could hold his own against Sean until Harry or a teacher got there.

Harry as well as Liam and Zayn came bursting in. They looked at the scene and immediately went into action.

Liam grabbed Louis and Zayn grabbing Sean as Harry went forward and yanked Niall up, slamming a fist into his stomach.

Of course since Sean and Niall were going out they assumed that the pair had picked a fight with Louis and that he had punched Niall and that’s why his nose was bleeding.

"No!" Louis yelled as Harry landed a blow to Niall's stomach. "Sean! Get Sean! Leave Niall alone!"

He couldn't do much as Liam was holding him tightly to keep him from getting at Sean.

He watched as confusion flitted across the three new comers faces. He groaned in frustration. "Just get Sean!"

Harry was hesitant but he let the blond go. Zayn shoved Sean onto the ground and used his foot to kick him in the side. Liam let go of the brunet in favor of stepping back.

Niall clutched his stomach and groaned. He fell onto his knees when a large crack sounded throughout the hall. Niall had probably made the break worse.

He yelled out and looked at his swollen black ankle, blood spilling over his lips and dripping off his chin. There was also a thin layer of sweat. He cried incoherently and for a moment he thought Louis was lying to him and he wouldn't acknowledge the blond around his friends.

Louis let his friends take care of Sean as he made his way over to Niall. The boy had let out a loud scream before falling to his knees and now tears were pouring down his face.

He carefully pulled the boy into his arms and just held him as he cried. He didn't know what to do. He was lost and the only thing that kept running through his mind was protect Niall.

He didn't care about the blood that was staining or the tears soaking his shirt. He just needed to get Niall out of there.

"I'm going to stand up and try and get you up too. Don't put any pressure on your ankle and if your wrists too much, tell me. Okay?"

Niall nodded his head and he sobbed even louder.

He sobbed from the pain but also the fact that Louis cared enough to help even with his friends around he couldn't help but cry in happiness. Because fuck Louis did love him, he still loved him.

Niall wrapped his arms around the brunet's neck to help him stand.

Louis wrapped one arm around Niall's waist and slowly and carefully, so as not to jar Niall's ankle, pushed himself up to his feet.

He pulled Niall close and hugged him tightly. They were one step closer to getting out of here.

He turned around to see Liam and Zayn brushing the wrinkles from their tousle out as Sean lay on the floor with Harry sitting on his stomach like he was the Queen of England.

Louis chuckled. "Only you, Styles."

The cheeky grin he got in reply was good enough. He helped Niall slowly make his way towards the lads (they were in the direction of the nurses’ station).

"Uhhhh, guys? I have something I need to tell you." Louis said suddenly nervous.

Niall kept his arms wrapped around Louis his face buried into his neck. is tears and blood were still spilling and drenching the chest of his shirt.

The three boys looked at Louis as he spoke.

"Go on." Liam was the one to break the silence as he gestured with his hand.

"Right. Erm... Well, you see- what I want you to know is that... Ummm..."

He couldn't get it out. He knew his friends would be okay with it. They were accepting of Sean and Niall, so why would Niall and he be any different?

Well, for one thing, they didn't actually like Sean...

He shook his head and looked over at Niall. The sight of tears and blood still scared the ever loving shit out of Louis and he knew that Niall deserved better, but he wanted to be selfish.

Three words. How hard could they be?

"I'm dating Niall."

The three were silent for a minute. Zayn furrowed his eyebrows.

"Sean and Niall though?"

The blond was quick to interrupt. "Louis and I aren't dating. We dated."

His breath was growing shallow and he wasn't sure how much longer he would last before he collapsed.

Louis furrowed his brow and looked over at Niall. Oh.

"Uh, we'll finish this another time. I really need to get him to the nurses’ station so they can treat him and call the paramedics."

He quickly made his way down the hall and found himself greeted by the same nurse for the second time today.

"He's kind of dying." Louis said. He was really unsure as to what was really going on with Niall, but he figured that the woman would move faster if he said that.

Niall cried out at the prospect of dying. Did he look that bad? He clung to the Doncaster lad blunt fingernails clawing at his lower back.

The nurse goes and calls the paramedics and tells Louis to set Niall on the bed.

"You didn't get to let me finish. We aren't dating because you haven't asked me out yet."

He tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace. His skin was covered in sweat and he looked unnaturally pale.

Louis smiled softly as he laid Niall down on the bed in the back. He chuckled at the attempt to break the tension.

"Well in that case," he got down on one knee beside the bed and carefully grabbed Niall's injured wrist (it was the one closest). "Niall James Horan, will you do me the pleasure of being my boyfriend... Again?"

Niall laughed softly at the mock marriage proposal.

"Yes. Oh yes!" He gushed melodramatically, one eye still swollen shut while the other one was drooping. "Mm tired."

"That's cute."

Zayn spoke from the doorway the other two standing behind him. They aren't joking though, Zayn's voice is genuine as he compliments them.

Louis turned to see his three best mates standing there and smiles. He can feel the blush creeping across his face.

He turned back and around and placed a kiss on Niall's forehead. "Go to sleep, babe. I'm going to be across the room talking to Zayn if you need me."

Niall nodded and closed his eyes tiredly his head ached something awful. He lied down minding both his ankle and his wrist.

He squeezed his boyfriend's hand before letting go to move across the room. "So... I guess I have a little bit of explaining to do."

The three all sat in chairs that were outside of the nurse's office.

"A few teachers took Sean so they let us go." Liam explained their sudden appearance.

"So you and Niall dated. Why don't you start with that?" Zayn asked sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Well we were dating up until three months ago. We started... Fooling around winter back in Year Nine. We kept it a secret since I really wasn't sure how you would react and he wasn't pressuring us to come out... I guess we started officially dating right before the start of Year Ten. That's why I was always busy on Friday nights."

He smiled softly as he thought about all those secret rendezvous and stolen kisses.

"We didn't even do anything... Uhhhh, dirty until we won our first game this year. It was just perfect."

Harry stood up abruptly. His emerald eyes shined as he looked at the Doncaster lad.

"Boo…" He shook his head, chocolate brown curls splaying across his cheeks as he walked away.

"Don't take that the wrong way, Lou. Harry doesn't care that you're gay he's just upset that he wasn't informed sooner." Liam spoke as he looked at the spot where the Cheshire lad had been.

"And we don't care either. Fuck who you wanna fuck." Zayn was always so blunt but he laughed quietly.

"Seriously though you're still the same Louis. We still love you."

Louis watched as his best friend walked away from him. It hurt like hell, but he trusted Zayn and Liam when they said he wasn't angry about him being gay.

"It just hurts... I kind of blamed him when Niall and I broke up and now that I'm being honest, he just leaves like that?"

Louis knew there was a possibility that this could happen. That's one reason he wanted to keep Niall a secret three months ago. He didn't want to loose his best friend.

Zayn smiled reassuringly. "He'll come around...so if you and Niall were dating why was he with Sean? And why were you trying to kick his ass?"

He emphasized the word trying. Although he really was curious.

Liam leaned forward resting his arms on his legs also interested in what was sure to be a...fascinating story.

Louis sighed. "That the thing. Niall and I were dating, but we broke up. He wanted us to come out and... Well, I wasn't ready and I told him that I wasn't sure how Harry would react. Honestly, I wasn't sure what Harry would do. So we fought, he broke up with me, and then he started dating Sean. I tried to be happy for them, but I couldn't. Then this morning Niall just seemed... Off. I talked to him and he told me that Sean was abusing him."

Louis stopped for a second and looked over at his blond boyfriend. He looked so defenseless and vulnerable. How could anyone hurt him?

"Niall said he was going to break up with him at lunch. When he was late, I texted him and he called me in tears. I went to find him and he was a mess. His ankle was crushed and Sean was still trying to hurt him.

"We ended up getting in a fight before you guys came out..."

Louis took a deep breath. He thought that was they were all caught up now. He couldn't believe how much drama his life had.

Zayn and Liam both listened intently. They nodded their heads every now and again to show that Louis had their utmost attention.

"Whoa. I'm glad I kicked Sean's ass. I mean sure we poked fun at him but the kid certainly doesn't deserve that."

They peered into the doorway also looking at his sleeping form.

"If he makes you happy then we're happy." Liam grinned broadly.

"Hey he could sit with us and come to our games, intimidate the other team and what not." The Wolverhampton lad added with a small laugh afterwards.

Louis laughed along with his friends. "I don't know if he'll be coming to games any time soon. I might quit the team to help him out. Sean really did a number on him. I mean, he asked me for permission to speak earlier."

He sighed and ran a hand through his fringe before noticing the wreck that his shirt was in. Blood was smeared across the front and it was still a bit damp from all the tears.

That's when he remembered the jumper he was wearing was back in the hallway. He pulled out his phone and texted Harry to ask him to grab the article of clothing.

Pocketing the phone, he looked up just in time to see the paramedics walk in.

"Ya can't quit! We both know that Niall wouldn't want that and I know that's horrible but there are people depending on you!" Zayn exclaimed a little thrown off by his best friend wanting to quit.

The paramedics placed the blond onto a stretcher and carted him down the corridor.

"I don't want to quit! I just want to be available for Niall at any time. I don't know. I'll talk to him about it when he's awake."

He watched as the paramedics started carrying Niall away. Panic gripped his chest and he hastily excused himself from Zayn and Liam before heading after the stretcher.

"Excuse me. Sir? Is there any way I can go with him? Please."

The man looked over at the boy and noted the desperation in his eyes and in his tone of voice. "Come along."

"Thank you so much." He thanked the man and stood to the side to stay out of the way as much as possible.

The man grunted and then with the help of his partner they rolled the sickly looking blond outside. One of them went to open the ambulance doors while the man Louis had talked to got inside to prepare everything.

"Boo!" A familiar voice rang.

Louis turned around at the sound of Harry shouting his nickname. He smiled happily at the jumper in his hands.

Harry came jogging over, a green hoodie clasped between his hands. His eyes looked down at the fabric.

"This is Niall's isn't it?"

"Yeah. He left it at my house one night and I've had it since." He looked up at his friend. "We're going to be okay... Right?"

There's a frown tugging at his lips. His gaze is downcast because he doesn't know how to answer.

"...As long as we're always best friends."

He looks up, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. Because yes they were going to be okay, they were always going to be okay.

"Hey kid!"

The man calls as he loads Niall inside. He gestures to the door letting them know it was time to leave.

Louis grinned brightly and wraps his arms around Harry's neck and pulls him in for a giant hug. "Always, Har-bear."

He pulls back as the man calls for him. "I gotta go. Thank you for getting the jumper. You're the greatest, Haz."

He climbed up into the back of the ambulance and waved at Harry until they shut the doors. He sat on a small bench and just tried to stay out of their way.

The men had looked at Niall's wounds. One of them turned and smiled kindly at Louis.

"It’s nothing life threatening. A fractured ankle, a busted upper lip, and possibly a sprained wrist."

Louis let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Niall would be okay. Well, in lots of pain probably, but still okay.

His kind smile soon drops though. "Looking at the black eye and every other injury, this looks like a beating. Son you weren't the one who did this were you?"

The question caught Louis off guard. They thought he did this. "Erm... No."

Louis had hesitated a little, but he though he'd be fine. They'd take his statement like they do on all the ER drama shows and he'd be cleared.

The man noticed the hesitation. He leaned over and whispered something to the other man as they drove along.

Niall stirred from his sleep when the vehicle hit a speed bump a little too hard. One eye fluttered open as he looked around groggy and disoriented.

"Lou?" he hums quietly.

"Hey, Niall." He makes a grab for the blond's hand since he should probably stay seated while the vehicle was in motion.

"Guess what? Good news! You're not going to die today." He tried to make the mood light since he figured that Niall has probably freaked out.

Louis clutched the jumper in his lap tightly as he thought about all the things that could have happened to Niall.

Niall didn't find it funny at all but he was physically and emotionally drained and he was still dazed from waking up.

"You're a cunt." He muttered, the dry blood on his lips cracking with every syllable, although he did squeeze Louis' hand. "Thanks for ya know saving me. It wasn't your job to."

He reminded because honestly he had walked out on the Doncaster lad, not the other way around.

"I'll always be there for you. Like I said the last time, you don't deserve this."

The ambulance came to a stop and Louis glanced up to see that they were at the hospital.

"I'll see you in a little bit. I love you."

The men started unloading and working to get the stretcher out of the back. Louis could only look on helplessly as his boyfriend was taken care of by someone else.

Niall's eye fluttered closed as he felt his body being jostled, the EMT's unloading him and the stretcher.

He didn't really pay attention as he was brought inside the hospital. But by the way people started to shout he figured he looked worse than he realized.

He was drifting off again but all he wanted was Louis.

\------------

Louis' shoulders slumped once Niall was out of view. At least he didn't have to pretend to be cheerful out here. All he wanted to do was give his statement and see Niall.

He found his way to the waiting room and talked to nurses' for a second while signing Niall in like they asked.

"Would you guys happen to have an extra shirt...? Mine's kind of covered in blood..."

The woman looked up and nodded her head. She went to a back room and came back moments later with a blue scrub top.

"This is all we have." She handed it over to Louis and sat back in her seat.

Louis graciously took the shirt and thanked her profusely.

He turned to go find a seat and found one near the doors he had been pushed out of earlier.

He looked around to make sure no one was looking before quickly switching the shirts.

He was about to go find a trash can or something to throw his (beloved) Man U shirt away when a voice called his name.

"Louis Tomlinson?" A police officer asked from behind the Doncaster lad. "We need to ask you a few questions son.” "Of course, sir." He finally managed to stutter out.

The police were a lot scarier than they seemed to be on the television programmes.

The man pulled a chair forward and offered a kind smile to relax the obviously nervous boy.

"So the boy in the ER is named Niall Horan?" He dug a small yellow notepad out of his jacket pocket and clicked his blue pen. He poised the writing utensil above the paper, he looked up so he could keep eye contact.

"What is your relation to him?"

"Ummm, yeah. That's Niall. He's my boyfriend..."

Louis bit his lip nervously. There wasn't an episode of ER that dealt with telling the cops that your boyfriend, who wasn't your boyfriend at the time, was abused by his ex-boyfriend, who was his boyfriend at the time.

He took a deep breath and just tried to relax. He hadn't done anything wrong... Well unless cheating was a punishable act by the law.

The officer nodded his head and scribbled some notes down.

"I didn't need to be informed by the doctor to be able to tell that boy had been beaten. And I get a lot of domestic violence cases so if you didn't do it then can you give me the name of the person who did?"

His tone was getting harsher. When 'asking questions' you had to make someone feel comfortable before you started to try and get to the point.

Calm down, Louis. You didn't do anything. You saved him.

He could tell? Did Niall really look that bad? He knew there had been a lot of blood and bruising, but the doctor said he'd be fine...

"Erm... His boyfriend did that. S-Sean Cullen."

The man looked at him and stashed his notebook and pen back into his pocket like he was going to keep it off the record. He leaned forward his large arms resting on his meaty thighs. One bushy eyebrow raised and the look on his face was accusatory.

"Here's the problem I have with that. Did you not just say you were his boyfriend or do you think I haven't been a cop long enough to catch things like that?"

Louis' eyes widened. He didn't really think this through. Honestly, he had only assumed Niall broke up with Sean. He didn't know for certain though...

"I am his boyfriend! I mean, we're dating and everything. It's just really complicated and messy right now."

Oh god. The cops thought he did this to Niall. His nerves weren't exactly helping much as he felt his body temperature spike and his heart beat pick up rapidly.

He never worked well under pressure. It scared him too much. What if he said the wrong thing? What if Niall's story didn't match his? What if Sean decided to try and finish what he started?

There were just too many variables.

The man stood up then his hand reaching for his back pocket.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you to the station and ask you a few more questions."

As he said this he pulled out a pair of shiny metal handcuffs. He turned Louis around and placed one loop around each wrist so tight it was digging into his skin.

"You're not under arrest this is just standard procedure."

Louis swore he saw his life flash before his eyes as he was being handcuffed. Standard procedure? This didn't seem like a standard procedure.

He started squirming and trying to get out of the cuffs that were digging harshly into his skin. He really just wanted to scream and run to Niall, but he figured that would probably just make everything worse.

He looked back at his chair as he was being led from the waiting room to see Niall's green jumper lying on the chair next to where he had been sitting. Guess he'd have to find a new favourite hoodie to wear.

The man opened the back door and placed his hand on Louis' head before pushing him in. He went around and slid into the driver's seat. "Now I want to know one thing before we leave. Were there any witnesses?"

He raised an eyebrow looking at Louis through the black wire fence separating the front of the car from the back.

Louis could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he was put inside the squad car. This was humiliating and degrading. Thank god Jay hadn't been working the emergency room shift today.

He heard the cop ask about witnesses. Were Harry, Zayn, and Liam considered witnesses? They just came when Louis called for help and then they just believed him. Better than nothing.

"Three other kids from our year. Ummm... Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Liam Payne."

The cop grabbed the transmitter and radioed in to another officer.

"Could you stop by the high school and pick up three boys by the names of Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, and Liam Payne? Okay thanks they just need to be brought in for questioning. Oh and Sean Cullen. Thanks."

He hung the transmitter up and pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive.

Louis sat and rested his head against the window. There really wasn't much that he could do now except wait and hope to god that things would work out okay.

The walkie-talkie crackled to life and let them know that the four boys had been picked up from the school and were on their way to the station now.

Louis closed his eyes and let the tears start to fall. This isn't how he pictured this day turning out.

It took twenty minutes to get to the station. The officer pulled Louis out of the car, one hand firmly gripping the young lad's arm.

"Boo!" Harry cried out. He and Zayn were sitting in some waiting chairs and Sean was sitting in one across the room.

The policeman removed Louis' handcuffs and sat him next to the Cheshire lad.

Louis smiled weakly as he was lead into the room with his friends in handcuffs. At least they wouldn't make fun of him for it.

"Hey, Haz," he greeted as he sat next to the boy and rubbed at his wrists. "Where's Liam?"

Harry's eyes flickered towards a large corridor at the mention of Liam. "He's being questioned right now..."

Out of all of them, Liam was the most likely crack or lie about something because he didn't do well under pressure.

Louis nodded quickly and hoped that Liam would be okay.

"Did they take you out in cuffs?" Louis was trying to get a feel for what the three went through. He didn't want to go in there and all have a different story.

Harry held up one of his wrists to show the purple bruise. "You should look at Zayn's."

At the mention of his name the Bradford boy held his wrist up to show a nasty looking cut that almost stretched all the way around.

Louis winced at the bruises. "Sorry to drag you guys into this. They asked for witnesses and I just said your names."

He stared at the culprit across the room. He just wanted to bash his face in so badly. Whatever. As long as he stayed quiet and left Louis alone, things would be okay.

Sean felt eyes on him and when he looked up his eyes connected with Louis’. Slowly a large grin broke out across Sean's face and he winked before looking back at the ground.

He narrowed his eyes at Sean. "What are you smiling about? I wouldn't be smiling if I was you. You're lucky we're in a police station or I would deck you right now."

Sean only smiles. "Niall's in the hospital I'd say I've accomplished a lot."

Louis jumped from his chair and launched himself at Sean. He managed to punch him a few times straight to the face.

"Don't you fucking talk about him. I'll fucking kill you!"

A few police officers rushed over and restrained Louis before they placed his hands behind his back and handcuffed him yet again.

"Another outburst and you'll be sleeping here tonight." One of the men threatened before walking away.

Louis slumped in his chair and continued to glare at Sean. He just wanted to wipe that smug smirk off Sean's face. "Fucking dick," he muttered.

He turned back to Harry and couldn't drop the evil glare. "What do you think they're asking Liam?"

"...Probably what he saw and what he knows." He shrugged his shoulders.

He tried not to show how nervous he was by playing it off that he didn't care. It wasn't working well because the way his body trembled it was clear that he was anxious.

Louis was going to try and calm his friend when the door down the hall opened up and Liam was lead back towards them.

"Zayn Malik?"

Zayn stood and traded spots with Liam and the darker lad was taken to the room down the hall.

"You okay, Liam?" Louis asked.

The usually tan lad was quite pale and shaking a little.

Wasn't this just a questioning?

Liam shot Louis a look. "It went okay."

He messed with his fingers needing some sort of distraction because this was getting to be too much.

Louis went to comfort Liam but was stopped by the cuffs around his wrists. He smiled sheepishly. "Hey. Everything is going to be okay. Don't worry. We didn't do anything wrong."

He tried to scoot his chair closer to Harry and comfort both of his friends. The best he was able to manage was resting his head on Harry's shoulder since the boy was closest.

Harry rested his head atop Louis' sighing quietly.

"Hey Boo?" He called quietly his eyes shining with guilt and a hint of sadness in his voice as he spoke.

"Hmmm?" Louis hummed to show he was listening. He didn't like the tone of Harry's voice. He hoped he hadn't ruined a friendship over everything that had happened today.

"I'm really sorry." Harry exhaled deeply his breath stuttering. He ran a hand through his already messy brown curls.

"I can't believe that I used to talk about how disgusting being gay was. I understand why you didn't tell me. Just know that I'm not disgusted by you or Niall."

Louis smiled softly and bumped his shoulder against Harry's in an attempt to show his affection.

"Thank you, Haz. That really means a lot to me. And I'm sorry that I never told you about Niall and me. You're my best friend. I should have told you as soon as it happened."

"Not if your best friend is a total prick. I know that I am so don't try and convince me otherwise."

He looked down at his feet and shook his head because there was more. So much more and he wasn't sure if he could admit it.

"You're not a prick, Harry. A little out spoken and a drama queen at times, but you're still the best mate a guy could ask for."

He frowned as Harry stared at the ground. He just looked so upset and it was killing Louis to see him that way.

"What's wrong? I know you and I can tell when something is bothering you so spill it."

"I'm a hypocrite."

He blurted head turning to look at the Doncaster lad. He bit his lip and sighed, his hands fisted the hem of his shirt to try and calm himself down.

"You know Grimshaw, Nick? We may or may not have been fucking for the past month and a half."

He covered his mouth instantly. He was always so blunt about things, he wasn't good at being subtle or sugarcoating things.

Louis could feel his eyes widen and his jaw drop as Harry spoke. Grimshaw? And Harry? Well that's something he never even saw coming.

"What! Harry, that's... I don't even know... Good for you! Is it a fling or something serious? I mean... Grimshaw? Really?"

Harry's face flushed red and he tried to get rid of it by rubbing his face with his hands.

"I don't know what it is. We were in the locker rooms one day and bam! He's on his knees...you don't want details."

Louis pulled his 'sassy bitch' face as Niall called it. Sometimes, he truly out gay-ed himself.

"Harry, I'm a 17 year old, homosexual male! Of course I want details! But first, I want to know if you like him for him or just the sex. Do you want it to be serious?"

"I don't know I mean we've cuddled afterwards and I don't think fuck buddies do that."

He sighed. He always told the other boys he'd never get into one of those confusing and complicated relationships but that's just what he was in. There was no clear definition on what it even meant to Nick.

Louis nodded sympathetically. That's exactly how he felt when everything had started between Niall and himself.

"I think you should just talk to him, Harry. You don't deserve to be lead on like that if he isn't in it for the long run. Just talk things out. Just be careful, yeah?"

Harry nodded his head and smiled. "Thanks for the advice Boo. I'll talk to him when I'm not you know in a police station."  
"So Zayn and I are like the only straight ones." Liam groaned but perked up at a random thought. "More girls for us."

At Liam's interjection, Louis burst out laughing. "Yes, Liam! More girls for you! Although, I don't think Dani would be all that happy to hear that you’re thinking of other girls."

Louis tried to hold in his laughter, but the stupid dance the cheer captain and Li had been doing since middle school was just getting old now.

Liam blushed hard at that and slumped in his seat.

"I'm going to ask her to prom...maybe...unless someone else is taking her...I mean then...I don't know..."

The Wolverhampton lad had a habit of rambling about things that embarrassed him.

"No one is going to ask her to prom. Know why? Because they entire school knows that you two should be dating, but you don't have the balls to ask her out."

Louis struggled to get closer to Liam before giving up. "Fuck this. Harry, ball tap him for me.

Harry shook his head at Louis' request.

"Yeah attack him with like 30 officers around. I really want a ticket for assault and battery."

"Come on, Haz! What's the worst they can do? Cuff you? It's not too bad once you get used to it. I can't even feel them anymore!"

Louis rolled his eyes at Harry. Sometimes that boy was too worried for his own good.

“So, either ask her to prom or forever be known as the guy that let the prettiest girl in school go to prom alone because he's a massive coward."

Louis stuck out his tongue like a five year old.

Liam flipped Louis his middle finger and stuck his tongue out.

"I'll ask her but I need a game plan. She really is pretty but I can't do something ordinary. I have to make it special."

"That'll be the first thing we work on when we get out of here. Operation: Dancing Queen is now in affect." I smiled over at him.

"Dancing Queen? I should have known you were a queer Tomlinson."

"Hey now! That is a great song! Not as good as Love Shack, but it's still fantastic." Louis said. "Besides, Dani can move. There's a reason she's cheer captain."

At that moment an officer walked out from behind a door and let Zayn leave.

"Harry Styles?"

Harry groaned quietly and walked over to the man, disappearing behind the door.

Zayn walked forward and took the Cheshire lad's previous seat.

"Fucking wankers."

"I'm guessing it went well." Louis said sarcastically at Zayn's comment.

Zayn shot him a glare and rubbed at his temples. "I need a cigarette and Perrie." He removed his phone from his pocket and shot a text to her. "They were trying to get me to admit to shit that never happened."

Louis furrowed his brows. "Shit that never happened? Like what? I thought we were just giving our statements and that was that."

He glanced over at Sean who had been unusually quiet the entire time. He was grateful that he had stopped talking, but his silence was also unnerving.

"Louis, apparently you were acting really fucking weird on the way and at the hospital. They think you beat the shit out of Niall and are using Sean as a scapegoat."

The Bradford boy stood up and walked outside to stand near the building as he lit a cigarette and took a long drag off of it.

Louis sighed as he watched Zayn go to smoke. "I was just scared and nervous. I didn't know if Niall was going to be okay. Then they asked me if I hurt him and I was just thrown through a loop and I hesitated..."

He looked over at Liam and swallowed the huge lump now present in my throat. "Did they tell you the same thing? Did they tell you that I did that to him?"

Liam shook his head eyebrows furrowed.

"This is getting weird. They just wanted my statement. I would've told you if they were trying to frame you."

He got up and moved a seat over so he was sitting next to Louis.

Liam was about to say something when movement caught his eye. He looked towards the door and his jaw dropped.

"Lou?"

A strong Irish lilt called softly from behind.

It was Niall. He had gotten out and taken down to the station for immediate questioning. There was a lime green cast on his foot and he was on a pair of crutches. There was also an ace bandage wrapped around his wrist and palm, fingers sticking out.

Louis swiftly turned his neck to see his boyfriend standing there. Even with all the bandages and bruising, he still looked gorgeous. He got to his feet and quickly gained his balance before making his way towards Niall.

"I'm so glad you're okay. What are you doing down here? They didn't release you already did they?"

"They did I wasn't bad."

His eyes widened as his eyes traveled down. "Babe, why are you handcuffed?"

He sounded panicked, but he couldn't do much considering he was stuck on a pair of crutches.

"At first it was standard procedure. Then I attacked Sean. I really just needed him to shut up and asking nicely didn't work."

He jerked his head in the direction of Liam. "Come on. You need to get off those crutches and sit down."

Liam got up and helped Niall over. He took the crutches as Louis helped him sit down.

The Wolverhampton lad then grabbed another chair and put it in front of Niall helping him put his foot up. "I was in Sports Med last year." He smiled and sat on the other side of the blond.

Louis smiled brightly. "Thanks, Li."

He snuggled in closer to Niall side as best he could with the boy having an injured wrist and him in cuffs.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you here? You should be at home resting."

Niall buried his nose in the crook of Louis' neck. "They wanted me for questioning. To confirm Sean did it." He mumbled mouthing his warm pink lips against the Doncaster lad's soft flesh.

"At least they're telling you Sean did it." Louis said bitterly.

He closed his eyes at the feeling of Niall's soft lips against his neck. It was calming and that was exactly what Louis needed right now.

"What do you mean?" Niall pulled back, his nose wrinkled with worry.

"They tried to get Zayn to admit that I was the one who did this to you."

One man came forward with a small key in his hand looking sternly at Louis. "I'll take the handcuffs off if you promise not to hit anyone. If you do you're spending the night in a jail cell."

Louis looked up at the officer and back over at Sean. "If you can promise that he'll keep his mouth shut, then I can promise not to hurt anyone."

The policeman sighed and looked over at Sean. "He hasn't said a word."

And with that he reached behind Louis and removed the handcuffs before pocketing them and walking away.

Louis rubbed at his wrists gingerly as they were released. His shoulders ached a bit from being pulled backwards, but it nothing a hot shower later tonight wouldn't fix.

Niall sat up straighter. "But why are they telling Zayn this and not me? What are they trying to pull?"

"Probably just want to plant two different stories and see which one people say is real. Harry is being questioned right now."

Niall nodded his head and took one of Louis' arms into his hands. He slowly started to kiss at the red marks before he leaned over and pulled his sleeve hard enough to expose his shoulder.

He started to leave a trail of gentle kisses there and up to his neck not caring that Sean was watching or that they were being held in a station.

Louis closed his eyes and took a deep breath enjoying the sensation. He had missed Niall so much. He tilted his head to the side a little so the boy had better access to his neck.

He opened his eyes and managed to catch Sean's gaze. He couldn't help the smug smile that settled onto his face. It was almost like dangling Niall in front of Sean and pulling him away at the last second.

The blond bit at his earlobe to quietly whisper. "Wipe that smug grin off your face."

He pulled the sleeve up on Louis' shirt and sat back, instead resting his head on the Doncaster lad's shoulder. "We'll continue this later."

"But why? I was thoroughly enjoying that." Louis pouted, but threw his arm around the back of the chair that Niall was sitting in.

Louis looked over to see Liam adamantly staring at the ground and his face was red as could be. "Oops. Sorry, Liam. Kind of forgot you were there..."

Niall blushed a dark red having also forgotten. He was quiet in his next response. "I want to wait to pleasure you. I wanna put my lips on places that are too inappropriate to do here." He nipped at his jaw.

Louis felt a spark in his stomach at the words. "Not a chance. It's going be the other way around until you're better. You'll be on your back and I'll be on my knees."

Niall hid his face in Louis' neck. "But I like making you feel good."

"I like it when you make me feel good too, but I have three months to catch up on. Until that cast comes off, I'm going to be making you feel good, babe."

Liam on the other hand was looking at his shoes his face flushing a color close to purple. "I hope you know I heard that."

Louis smiled brightly over at Liam. "You know you think about it too. Granted, you've probably got cheer skirts and long curly hair imagined, but still."

Liam didn't respond as he looked down knowing he'd just give himself away from the way his voice would probably crack.

At that moment the door down the hall opened and Harry could be heard yelling.

"Fucking dumbasses! We told you happened! Stop making shit up!" And with that the curly haired boy stormed down the hall and collapsed in a chair next to Louis.

The blond flinched as Harry came back. He wasn't around when Harry had accepted them. He still remembers the bruise on his stomach and all the names Harry had called him.

Louis looked up as Harry slumped in the chair next to him. "I'm taking it that your questioning went just as well as Zayn's."

Harry scoffed. "Trying to get me to incriminate my best mate! That's just bullshit." Harry huffed and turned before noticing Niall there. "Oh... Um, hey, Niall."

Niall timidly said hello. He hated how weak he sounded but Sean was the reason for that. Speaking of the devil actually…

"Sean Cullen."

Sean got up and made his way down to the interrogation room with a smirk on his face. He looked over at Niall as he went and blew him a kiss.

Things were going well for him.

Niall crinkled his nose in disgust at Sean's gesture. The blond ignored the look shot in his direction. He also made sure he made no eye contact with Harry.

The lad hated him. He always insulted him so seeing him with his best friend probably pissed him off. Unconsciously Niall scooter away from Louis so he wouldn't piss his friends off, although Liam seemed to be fine with it.

Harry frowned as he watched Niall shift away from his best mate. That's when realised this was the first time he had spoken kindly to the boy. Well, no time like present to fix things.

"You know I'm okay with you and Louis right? I'm not angry or disgusted or anything. I guess I should be apologising for all the years of shit I put you through."

He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Niall before whispering. "And don't move away from Louis. It shows discomfort and that'll only fuel their theory that Louis did this to you."

Niall's eyes widened because he hadn't thought about that. The blond got up and hobbled over and sat in Louis' lap without much thought. He wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed his jaw.

He looked over at Harry shyly. "I forgive you."

Niall was always forgiving it was a good and bad thing.

Harry smiled softly. "That's more than I was hoping for." He reached out and patted Niall's knee now that he was close enough to touch.

Zayn walked back into the building to see the four of them together. He rolled his eyes at Niall sitting on Louis' lap and Harry acting like it wasn't a huge deal.

He looked over at Liam and noticed a red tint across his face at Louis and Niall's closeness. This was their life now.

Niall smiled against Louis' jaw. "I love you."

It took him two years to say it. The first time ended their relationship but this time Niall would make sure that they would remain together.

Louis smiled. "I love you too." It still amazed Louis that Niall loved him. After everything they went through, he was sure that Niall would hate him.

"Lou, I hope this mess gets sorted. I don't want to see you end up here." A frown tugged at Niall's lips as he said it because even if Louis' denied it, it was Niall's fault.

"Don't worry. Things will be fine. I didn't do anything. Unless they decide that my outburst on Sean is worthy of incarceration, I'll be okay."

"You deserve better." He mumbled.

Louis pulled back just enough to look down at Niall and frowned. "Don't say that. That's not true and you know it. If anyone in this room deserve better it's you."

Niall looked at Louis in disbelief. "Look at where you and your friends are at because of me! You were just in handcuffs, because of me! I deserved every beating my Sean or dad gave me!"

It was good that at the moment there were no police around or they'd notice the nearly hysterical boy. Niall didn't care though. He didn't care if everyone knew about his father or about how he felt.

"Niall, you do not deserve this. Do you hear me? No one deserves this. I love you. I don't deserve someone as caring and nice as you, but for some reason, I got you. I'm going to do all I can to make sure you never get hurt again."

Louis rubbed soothing circles on Niall's back trying to calm the boy. Now was a really not the time for a panic attack or hysterics.

Niall pressed his face into Louis' chest, his boyfriend's hand soothing him. "I’m sorry I just get insecure sometimes."

He kissed the underside of the Doncaster lad's jaw, his long fingers running through Louis' thick brown fringe.

"Even if Sean stops beating me I still have my good old father." Niall said bitterly.

"You have no reason to be insecure. And you're not going back to your dad. You're going to stay with me for a while. I don't want to send you back when I know this could happen again."

He leaned down and caught Niall's lips in a kiss. His hand slipped to play with the short hairs on the back on the blond's neck.

Niall kissed him back with just as much force. He tugged at Louis' hair, licking and nipping at his bottom lip. He moaned softly but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Niall pulled back and buried his face in Louis' neck, cheeks and ears burning red. He couldn't even look around too embarrassed to see anyone's face.

"I love you," Louis whispered. He pressed his lips to the blond hair. He was content to just hold Niall in his arms.

The door down the hall opened and Sean was lead out and into his chair across from them.

"Niall Horan?"

Niall swallowed thickly but got off of Louis. He grabbed his crutches and balanced them under his armpits without falling.

"I'm going to set the record straight Lou."

He nodded before he hobbled over to the door and slowly disappeared down the hallway.

The officer followed the injured boy into the interrogation room and shut the door behind them. He walked over and pulled the chair out for Niall before walking to the other side of the table and sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Mister Horan, I'm Officer Davis. Can you tell me your relation to Mister Tomlinson?"

"He's me boyfriend...well recent boyfriend." He added.

Niall spoke slowly and cautiously, taking great care in carefully choosing his words. He was not going to let Louis get blamed for anything.

"That's what he told us. Can you tell us what your relation with Mister Cullen is? He's claiming to be your boyfriend as well."

The officer wrote down what Niall said and stared at the other four statements in front of him. He wanted to make connections and finally get the truth.

"Well I never officially ended it with Sean..."

Niall bit his lip. He hoped this story wouldn't be published. He did not want people to know he was a cheater. He sighed quietly and looked at the table top.

The officer made a noise to show that he was paying attention as he continued to write things down.

"So, what I have is Mister Tomlinson claiming that Mister Cullen is the one who abused you. However, besides you, Mister Cullen is the only one with bruises. Also, mister Tomlinson continued to attack Mister Cullen while he was sitting in the station. That doesn't sound very convincing to me."

He sighed heavily again. "I've been around the force for a while. I get all kinds of stories from 'the butler did it' to 'it was all aliens.' One thing I've noticed in the abuse cases I've worked is that the victim covers up for the guilty party.

"So, Mister Horan, I'm going to ask you one more time before I bring Mister Tomlinson in. Who is the one that hurt you?"

Niall was getting irritated, really irritated. "He's the only one with bruises?! Does the fucking cast and black eye not give anything away? It was Sean! He beat me as often as my dad!"

He shut his mouth immediately afterwards.

The officer looked up from his papers. "Your dad? Mister Horan, are you saying that you're being abused at home as well as with your significant other?"

He felt bad for the kid. He was pretty beat up by one of his boyfriends and he was being beaten at home. "Did anyone else know about the violence from your father? Your mum or a sibling? Mister Tomlinson perhaps?"

Officer Davis wanted to believe the kids, but with the testimonies and evidence everything seemed to point to the Tomlinson boy as the aggressor.

"Just the aftermath. It’s hard not to notice, I have more bruises than tattoos!"

He exclaimed a bit exasperated. Why couldn't they just believe him that Sean did it and get this over with?

"Mister Horan, I understand that you’re frustrated. The only problem is that the accounts of Misters Malik, Payne, and Styles leaves too much suspicion on Mister Tomlinson and Mister Cullen is claiming that Mister Tomlinson started the altercation. If Mister Tomlinson knew about the violence at home, there's a chance he may have picked it up from your father."

Niall couldn't believe what he was listening to. "Louis tried hitting Sean because he broke my fucking ankle! Considering we're dating I'm sure he'd be pissed! Don't you? And don't you dare compare Louis to my father!" He shouted his fist slamming against the table.

"You need to calm down." Officer Davis said sternly.

"Now, I'm sorry I upset you. I hate having to do this, but it's my job. I have to make sure that I have all sides of the story before making a judgment."

He sighed and ran a hand through short hair. "Okay. So Mister Cullen attacked you. Last question and then you can leave. Did Mister Tomlinson do anything at all to harm you in any way?"

The blond put his hands under the table and took some calming breaths.

"No...but I have a question...what are you going to do about my dad?"

He knew that people took child abuse seriously but he could not let his dad go to jail.

"Well, protocol says that I have report this to social services. At that point they'll send a social worker over at any point in time to see how you’re treated. If the claims are true, then we'll put you in protected custody until we either find you a new healthy environment to put you in or until your dad is behind bars. Do you have somewhere else you can stay until you heal at least?"

"I can stay at Louis.'"

Niall rubbed his hand down his face. God this entire thing was getting messy.

If his dad knew or found out that he told the cops his throat would be slit faster than he could scream.

"That's fine." The man sighed again. "Okay. You can go. All of you boys are cleared to leave. We'll be keeping a close eye on Mister Cullen, but I'd advise Mister Tomlinson to keep his distance."

Niall got onto his feet and back on his crutches. He hobbled out and the man had the door open for him.

The blond was visibly upset as he went back over to Louis. is jaw was clenched and he looked like he was going to cry.

Louis saw Niall struggling down the hall and got up to help him back to the others.

The officer was behind them. "You're all free to go. Mister Cullen, we'll be watching to ensure that this doesn't happen again and, Mister Tomlinson, I would advise staying clear of Mister Cullen.

Louis nodded and looked over at his boyfriend. He wrapped his arm around Niall's shoulder and pulled him close. "You okay, babe?"

Niall couldn't help it. His bottom lip wobbled out and before he knew it he burst into tears. The blond whimpered as he leaned his body against the Doncaster lad's.

Louis panicked and wrapped his arms tightly around the boy and held him. "Babe? Hey now. Come on. I'll call Jay and we'll go home."

He did his best to stabilise the boy before asking Harry to call Jay for him.

"Come on, Niall. Let's sit down and wait."

Niall sat in his seat and buried his face in his palms still crying.

He didn't know what he'd tell him mum and brother. If they knew his dad was going to be arrested because of him they would hate him.

Louis tried his best to calm Niall down, but he had no clue what was wrong. He pet at the blond's hair to try and soothe him.

"Babe, what's wrong? I can't help unless you tell me. I promised that I wouldn't let anything hurt you. Let me help you, babe."

"I'm such a fucking moron! I...they left you alone because I told them about my dad."

He sobbed trying his best to curl into Louis' side, the armrest of the chair keeping them apart.

“But, babe, that’s a good thing. You’ll finally be safe when you go home.”

"N-No! It’s not a good thing. My family will know it was me. If I'm the reason my mum's precious husband goes to jail she'll want nothing to do with me."

He whimpered because he loved his mom yet he knew it was true.

"They won't know, babe. If they say anything I'll tell them I told them. I'll tell them it was me, but, babe, please don't ever think that this is a bad thing."

Louis pulled back from Niall and grasped his shoulders to get him to look at him.

"You don't deserve to be in that situation. One of you has to leave that house and better him than you. And you know your mum will still love you and want you there. She cares so much for you Niall. She loves you more than you think."

Niall was too tired to argue. He was in too much pain and he was emotionally drained.

"I just want to go to a nice warm bed and lie down."

He muttered wiping away his tears.

Louis started rubbing soft circles in his back. "Go to sleep, babe. I'll take care of everything. I promise."

\------One Month Later------

Louis watched as the time hit the eighty-ninth minute mark. He was set up for a penalty kick with one minute left and the score tied at four, he was beginning to feel the pressure.

He shook his hands to get the nerves out as he stepped up for the kick. He took a deep breath and ran towards the ball. He swung his foot forward and made contact with the ball and watched as it went towards the net.

He managed to catch a shock of white blond to his left in the stands and smiled to himself as he knew who it was.

The ball tore through the sky and slipped through the hands of the goalie as he collapsed onto the damp ground.

A crowd of cheers erupted from the stands at the mind blowing kick.

A sweat drenched Liam, Zayn, and Harry started to laugh and scream and ran around the field slipping and sliding.

Louis sunk to his knees as the ball hit the back of the goal. He could hear his best mates hollering and screaming on the field, but he paid no mind.

He just scored the winning goal at the National Championship game. He just won the championship. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and the squish of turf beneath his knees.

Niall embarrassingly found himself jumping around as well. His bright red sweatshirt was skin tight and the previous rain fall made it worse. His skin tight black jeans made it worse as he ran down the bleacher stairs, ignoring all the confused stares.

His red vans slid across the grass and stopped about five feet in front of Louis.

Over the past month he had gotten an eyebrow piercing and a tattoo across his inner wrist. 'LWT' he knew that people should never get someone's name inked on them but Niall knew it would last forever.

"Lou." He called softly.

Louis was so excited and emotionally overwhelmed that he almost missed the call of his name.

He looked up and saw Niall standing on the field looking completely out of place in his skinny jeans and piercings. He couldn't help brightly grin that over took his face and the laughter that bubbled over his lips.

"Niall... We won! We're national champions! We did it!"

"I know baby I saw."

Niall sprinted over and ended up slipping and falling onto his knees right in front Louis.

He crawled over and grabbed Louis' face, smashing their lips together. His long fingers trailed down his face, grazing over his muscular arms and over to his back.

Louis smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Niall's neck and tried to pull him closer. He ended up slipping in the slightly muddy grass and falling on his back, bringing Niall with him.

He broke the kiss and started laughing. He brought his now mud covered hand up and cupped Niall's cheek before pressing their lips together once again.

"I love you so much."

Niall could feel the mud being smeared across his cheek and he crinkled his nose in disgust.

He pressed his own palm into the soft mud next to him and ran it through Louis' fringe gelling it back. He grinned cheekily at the boy that was beneath him.

Louis chuckled. "You're washing that out of my hair tonight."

He glanced just behind Niall to see Harry and Liam smiling brightly down at the two. With one more quick kiss, pushed himself up off the ground and helped Niall up.

"We did it!" He shouted again as he jumped into Zayn's back and began pumping his fist in the air.

Niall felt a bit awkward standing in the football field considering he was not part of the team and he stuck out like a sore thumb.

He awkwardly stepped back and onto the sidelines. He smiled at Louis' happy face and he walked off the campus opting for sitting on the hood of his car.

Louis was so caught up in celebrating with his team that he completely missed Niall walking away.

It wasn't until about five minutes later when they were all heading down to the locker room that noticed his boyfriend was missing.

"Haz, did you see where Niall went? I can't find him, mate."

Harry was walking while Nick had a 'friendly' arm around him.

The Cheshire lad turned to look at him dazedly. He looked towards the roof as he tried to think. "He left."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Thanks for being oh so helpful."

He quickly headed to his locker and stripped down before taking his towel and wiping away the mud. He'd shower later. Right now, he wanted to find Niall.

He redressed himself in his usual after game clothes before running into the bathroom and trying to get as much mud from his hair as he could.

Deeming himself semi-presentable, he grabbed his bag, yelled a 'use protection!' to Harry, and jogged out to the parking lot hoping to find Niall.

Niall sat on the hood of Louis' car, running his fingers over the metal beneath him.

He sighed and smiled down at his lap. Louis did so well and he was so proud of him.

Spotting Niall sitting on his car, Louis calmed down a little before letting himself admire his boyfriend from afar.

He walked up till he was standing in front of his own car; he leaned down on the hood and flirtatiously smiled up at Niall. "What's a guy gotta do to get a little love around here?"

Niall smiled softly but stuck his tongue out.

"Maybe if I didn't have mud on my face." He teased. He slid off the hood and stood next to his boyfriend. He leaned up for a kiss, his eyelids fluttering closed.

Louis happily reciprocated the kiss and let his hands drop to Niall's waist.

"So what do you want to do tonight? Grimshaw said he was throwing a party, but he's a bit busy so that probably won't be for another hour and a half. We can always go home and watch a movie and make out. Either one. They both sound like fun."

He nipped at Niall's bottom lip before trailing kisses down his neck and biting at the pale boy's neck.

"Mm well when you do that I just wanna go and make out."

Louis made a noise in the back of his throat to show that he heard as he continued to nibble and suck on Niall's neck.

He moaned softly, stretching his neck to give Louis better access to his flesh.

His hands gripped at Louis’ biceps before he pulled away and went to the passenger side of the car.

He pouted when Niall pulled away and got in the car, but soon followed his lead by throwing his sports bag in the back seat before getting into the front.

He leaned across the centre console and once again pressed his lips to Niall's.

Niall smiled so widely into the kiss that Louis probably felt it.

After a moment he pulled back his hand playing with the hair at the nape of Louis' neck. "You know we're doing the same thing that happened four months ago." Although Niall wasn't going to end it with him this time.

"I got a new tattoo."

He spoke absently before he held out his wrist for him to see the initials.

Louis scrunched his eyebrows together. "Is that my initials? Niall! Why would you get my initials? I mean, I love it, but..."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. This was permanent. This was a lot. He loved it, but it had so many implications.

Niall felt a frown tug at the end of his lips.

"Oh...you don't like it...there's a tattoo shop down the road I could get it covered."

His voice trailed off and he looked down at the console. Suddenly he felt stupid, really stupid.

"No! I love it! It's just... That's permanent. Are you... Do you think we're going to last?"

The brunet wanted them to last forever, but he wanted to be realistic. He didn't want to assume that Niall would want to be together forever.

"Look you don't have to spare my feelings. I figured you wanted us to be together just as much as I did but if that's not the case than I'll get it covered up or removed."

Niall sat back in his seat, rubbing his hands down his face.

"God I'm so stupid." He muttered more to himself than to Louis.

"Niall, you're not stupid. I do want us to be together. I want us to get married and get a flat together and adopt cute little Irish babies. I just snogged you on the football pitch in front of most, if not the entire, school. I love you, Niall James."

He reached across and laced their fingers together and brought Niall's hand to his lips.

"I want to be with you forever. The tattoo is perfect. It just caught me by surprise. Please don't cover it or get rid of it."

Niall smiled softly and sighed, looking at his boyfriend.

"I'm just a bit insecure is all. And I want to have a beautiful wedding in a garden and I want two boys and a girl. I want to get boys first so they can beat up anyone that makes their sister cry."

He felt his cheeks flush because with the detail he went into Louis would definitely know that he's thought about this.

Louis laughed. "That sounds perfect. Just promise me that our little girl won't be allowed to date until she's thirty."

Niall was talking about a wedding. He really does want to be with Louis forever and the mere thought made the brunet's heart swell. If they weren't so young, Louis would propose tonight, but he somehow didn't think Niall would take him all that seriously.

"So just for future reference, are you saying that if I asked you to marry me that you'd say yes?"

Niall looked at Louis like he was psychotic. "Are you kidding me?"

He climbed over the center console and gear shift to straddle Louis' waist. He smashed their lips together and tried to make it the best one yet. After a few moments he pulled away.

"I would say yes before you could finish asking me."

Louis moaned happily at the feeling of Niall on his lap and his lips against his own.

"Niall James, love of my life, father of my un-adopted children, would you do me the honour of marrying me in two or three years time?" He smiled brightly. "And yes I'm being serious."

"Of course I will. Now I can't promise I won't cry."

He admitted kissing Louis again. He nudged his nose against the underside of his jaw. He reached his hands down and laced their fingers together.

"Perfect," Louis whispered as Niall once again found his lips.

He just wanted to stay in this moment forever. It was perfection and the best thing he could ask for.

However, his still wet and slightly muddy hair was beginning to dry and harden and starting to itch his scalp a little.

"Niall? Want to go back to mine? I still need to shower and I know that you can't honestly like the smell of sweat and wet grass."

"If I liked the smell of sweat and grass I would have joined football."

He laughed and got back into the passenger seat of Louis' car. His hand found the Doncaster lad's once again and linked their fingers.

Louis quickly drove them home and soon they were pulling into an empty driveway and darkened house.

"Jay has the overnight shift at the hospital and the girls are either at a friend's or at grandma's. We have the house to ourselves... Well, until eight tomorrow morning when Jay gets off of work."

"Well let’s enjoy it then."

Niall got out of the car and stepped onto the porch his hands in his pocket. "I'm going to need a shower after you. I've got mud on my face and I smell like you." He teased playfully.

"Gee thanks." Louis smiled as he grabbed his bag from the backseat and headed up to his door.

Once unlocked, he let Niall enter first and swatted at his bum as he passed him. He headed up the steps and into his room to grab his towel before stopping as an idea struck him.

"Uhhhh, Niall? I have a suggestion and you can totally say no if you want, but do you maybe just want to shower together?"

Niall raised an eyebrow as a grin spread across his face.

"And why would I say no? Afraid I might get a little too hands on?" He joked as he walked up the steps and to Louis' bedroom where he had his own bathroom.

"Just making sure you're comfortable with it. And, please, I encourage you to get as hands on as you like."

Stepping into the bathroom, he began fiddling with the water getting it to just the right temperature that would feel great on his muscles after the game. Once he was satisfied there, he stripped off his shirt set his glasses on the sink before poking his head back in the bedroom looking for Niall.

"Can you grab my towel please? You're going to need one too. Unless you're planning on sharing the Power Rangers one with me."

"Hm rubbing up against you with limited space? Sounds good to me."

He pawed through his drawers before he came across the towel and carried it inside, placing it on the counter.

He stripped his clothes off, the fabric lightly hitting the ground. He pulled back the curtain and stepped in, before re-closing it behind his body.

Louis finished getting undressed and stepped into the shower and moaned at the feeling of the warm water against his skin. He wrapped his arms around Niall's waist and kissed at his neck.

"Hey, gorgeous. Want to help me get this mud out of my hair since you're the one who smeared it in there in the first place?"

"Only if you get the mud off my face."

Niall shot back playfully as the water splashed against their skin and hair.

"I haven't been to a concert in months. Do you maybe wanna go with me." He bit his lip as he asked.

Louis smiled and wiped at the smudge of dirt on Niall's face.

"You want me to go to a concert with you? Isn’t that you're time away from everyone?"

Niall wanted him to go to a concert. This was even better than the marriage proposal in the car. "Of course I'll go with you. I'd love to finally see what this whole moshing thing is."

"Oh God you're not ready for that."

"I am so ready to mosh! It's just like extreme dancing right? I mean I just have to throw a few elbows and I'm good."

He laughed quietly trying to imagine Louis in a mosh pit. "How about we go and just listen and then we can work on the moshing."

Niall squeezed past Louis and bent down to grab the bottle of shampoo.

 

He pouted at Niall's laughter which he assumed had something to do with him and was about to reply when the blond bent over.

"Fuck, Niall. You can't just bend over like that and expect me to be able to hold a conversation."

"Um no it’s more like an MMA fight. There's a lot of punching and kicking and I've seen someone body slammed into my friend back in Ireland."

He called over his shoulder still not straightening himself up. He instead wiggled his bum in the air.

"Oh... That sound ridiculously dangerous. It doesn't matter though because we'll do it. Come on. Just picture me with a black eye and a busted lip and my hand all taped up. Cute, right?"

He groaned as the boy merely shook his butt at him.

"Niall!" It was supposed to come out sounding stern, but even Louis could hear the whining behind his voice.

"I'll kiss...and lick your wounds better."

Niall whispered suggestively. He spun around and got on his knees instead, looking up at his boyfriend through matted blonde hair that looked more brown when wet.

"Is this better?"

He bit his lower lip as water dripped down his skin and off his chin.

Louis felt his cock twitch as he looked down at his boyfriend. He looked far too innocent even with the tattoos and piercings. It was a sight that Louis would never forget.

He reached out and ran his fingers through Niall's wet hair, pushing it back to be able to see his eyes.

"You don't have to you know." He whispered.

"I want to. C'mon I've never blown you. We've never had sex and I'm getting a little heated here."

He gestured down to his erection that was pressing into his stomach, considering he was slightly hunched over.

"And the way you scored that winning goal turned me on."

Louis groaned. "Fine. But if you get uncomfortable or you want to stop, we will."

To be honest, Louis wanted this just as much as Niall did, but he wanted to make sure that Niall didn't feel pressured. He really just wanted to shove his entire length down Niall's throat, but they would go at Niall's pace.

"I'm not going to stop." He assured before he licked up Louis' inner thigh, lapping at the water droplets.

He brushed his lips up the sun kissed thigh, pulling them back to sink his teeth into the flesh. He sucked on him for awhile creating a purple lovebite.

He brushed his nose against the crease that connected Louis' leg to his pelvis.

The blond always liked the idea of teasing the Doncaster lad. Teasing him until he was begging for Niall to suck him off and let Louis fuck his throat raw.

Louis managed a whine in the back of his throat at the feeling, but the feeling of Niall biting his thigh and being that close to him was driving him crazy.

He took a deep breath as Niall brushed so close to his member, but wouldn't give Louis the satisfaction of feeling his mouth on him quite yet.

"Niall, please. No teasing."

"Since you asked so nicely."

He kissed Louis' tip, dipping the tip of his pink muscle into the slit. He licked a stripe up the underside of his erection pulling back to lick another line up towards the head. His hands gripped at his thighs to make sure he could go for as long as he needed.

Finally he wrapped his lips around Louis' tip lightly sucking.

Louis groaned. Niall's tongue felt so good licking at his cock. He leaned back against the wall for support as he could already tell his legs would give out.

He grasped at his own hair with one hand so he wouldn't be tempted to tug and pull at Niall's blond locks. He kept his eyes open to watch as his cock started to disappear between his boyfriend's lips.

Slowly Niall took about half of Louis' cock into his mouth. The underside was brushing against his tongue as he went down.

He felt himself starting to gag so he stopped moving and instead opts for wrapping his long fingers around the base of his erection.

The water was beating down making it much slicker and easier to move his hand and work his tongue.

The warm, wet heat around his cock felt like heaven to Louis. He used every ounce of willpower inside of him to not buck his hips forward and he could feel his muscles clench in protest at not being able to move.

He slowly let his fingers tangle in the hair on Niall's head as it started to plaster itself to the Irishman's forehead and obstruct Louis' view of his boyfriend's face.

Niall moaned quietly for the first time at the feeling of Louis' fingers in his hair and massaging his scalp.

He removed his hand and slowly started to inch down until he felt the small tufts of Louis' hair brushing his nose. He let his mouth relax as his tongue massaged his cock, lapping at the prominent veins there.

"Fuck, Niall." Louis moaned as he felt the boy take his entire length into his mouth. He tugged at the hair in his grasp.

He couldn't help the small thrust of his hips forward and immediately gasped at the friction it caused. "Shit. Sorry."

Niall pulled off for a moment so he could look up at him.

"Don't be sorry. I want ya to keep doing that, I like that." He assured, cheeks blooming patches of cherry red. He quickly opened his mouth and continued his descent down until Louis hit the back of his throat.

Louis nodded slowly as Niall spoke. He could do that. Niall would tell him if he wanted Louis to stop.

He let his fingers again tighten in Niall's hair as he felt himself hitting the back of Niall's throat. He gasped as immense pleasure coursed through him before just letting himself do what felt natural.

He pulled at Niall's hair as he let his hips shift and pull back slightly before thrusting them forward again. He looked down at Niall as he continued to thrust into his mouth.

Niall kept his mouth open and moaned at the feeling of Louis fucking his mouth.

He pulled off for a moment and shyly looked at the floor. "How far do ya wanna go?"

Louis bit his lip. "I love you and I want you. I want to go all the way... If you’re ready for that..." He could feel his face flush at the conversation.

Considering everything that was happening, this shouldn't of been as embarrassing as it was. Louis had never brought up this kind of stuff with Niall and now that it was all happening, he couldn't really believe this.

Niall felt a smile tug at his lips. "I want to as well."

He stood up and laced their fingers together kissing Louis' knuckles. Slowly he trailed his lips up Louis' arm until he attached them to his boyfriend's neck.

Louis wrapped his arm around Niall's waist and let his free hand come to rest on Niall's bum and squeezed Niall hand in his own.

"Let's get out of the shower. The hot water is almost gone." He whispered into Niall's ear.

Niall nodded and turned around shutting the water off.

"I only got one towel remember?"

He slowly began to wipe the water off of Louis' before he wrapped it around his waist.

The blonde smiled cheekily as he brought their pelvises together so he could wrap the towel around himself as well although he could barely do it.

"Your arse is so big."

"Leave my arse alone." Louis pouted. "You know you love it."

He pressed their lips together and started to push Niall back towards his bedroom.  
Niall walked backwards, keeping their bodies pressed impossibly close together. His hands rested on the tan, slightly wet pelvis.

"I want you." Niall growled softly, the back of his knees hitting the bed. His body fell backwards his back hitting the soft aqua blue blankets.

Louis crawled over him, knees going on either side of the blond's narrow hips.

His darker cerulean eyes raked over the alabaster skin. He bit into his bottom lip and before he could wait he began to roll his hips down.

There was a mutual gasp, their erections rubbing together, water droplets sliding all around tan and pale flesh.

Moans slowly began to fill the once quiet space as they continued to grind their hips against one another.

Heated, flushed, trembling skin continued to brush and move, water evaporating off their fevered skin.

"L-Lou."

The Doncaster lad panted, sucking Niall's bottom lip in between his own lips, teeth biting down. He pulled away, letting the appendage spring back.

Niall rutted his pelvis up, one hand coming up to grab the back of his head, pale fingers threading through thick brown fringe before he brought their faces together. They reconnected, noses brushing and tongues dancing.

Louis' mind hazed over like a thick blanket of fog settled over it.

He moved his face down, blowing cold air over Niall's long torso.

He skipped over the most sensitive area and instead went to his boyfriend's legs. He spread them apart to fit his body in between.

He kissed his inner thigh, licking and nipping at the winter white flesh. His hands were on his waist, thumbs rubbing comforting circles into his hips.

"Stop teasing and fuck me."

Louis' breath hitched as he sat up. He bit the inside of his cheek, not having any lube.

He had to substitute it by placing two of his fingers in front of Niall's plump lips.

"Suck."

Niall invitingly let the digits into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around them then running the tip up his index and middle fingers. He sucked on them harshly like he did earlier in the shower.

Louis groaned at the vibration. He pulled them out, a string of saliva connecting his digits to Niall's lips.

He moved the fingers from his mouth and to his entrance.

The blond shivered at the feeling. Louis slowly pushed his middle finger in and out, kissing at his creamy white thigh.

Niall wiggled his hips, the sensation feeling strange and burning lightly.

The Doncaster lad worked him through it before adding his index, brushing in and out of his entrance.

Niall whimpered, the small pain now spreading like wildfire. His face screwed up in discomfort, he now realized just how much it was going to hurt when it was Louis and not his fingers pushing past his walls.

“I knew this was a bad idea. I’ll stop.”

Louis spoke worriedly starting to pull his fingers out knowing that if he went fast it might make it worse.

“No! No I want this Lou. It’s going to hurt no matter what.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure because it’s with you.”

The brunet rolled his eyes at the cheesiness but he kissed Niall hard on the lips and plunged his fingers back in. He swallowed the small grunts of pain instead working him through it.

He scissored his fingers, stretching the tight ring of muscles. The blonde boy felt the pain slowly being ebbed away, getting used to the sensation of being strained.

The Irish teen involuntarily pushed himself back onto Louis too tired and breathless to vocally tell him that he was ready.

Louis got the message though and he removed his fingers, rubbing them across the bed sheets. He spit into his palm and ran it over the entirety of his length, until it felt wet enough to go.

He spread Niall’s legs and positioned himself at his entrance. Slowly he began to push in, his hole, stretching over his tip as little by little his erection disappeared inside of his boyfriend.

He groaned feeling the tight warm heat inundating him. His hands gripped the blonde’s hips harshly, fingers marring his porcelain skin.

Niall gasped, tears welling because fuck that hurt. He shook his head hoping to get rid of them because he didn’t want to turn back now; they had come way too far. He tugged at the sheets, but no matter how hard he tried to relax he couldn’t.

Of course Louis noticed discomfort because they are dating after all. He leans forward and laces their fingers together, squeezing Niall’s reassuringly.

Maybe it was the comfort from the squeeze but suddenly Niall didn’t feel so tense. He felt himself loosen enough for it to no longer be uncomfortable. He squeezed Louis’ hand back.

“Lou I need you now.”

He mewled. The Doncaster lad kissed his chest, dipping his tongue into his navel and pulled his hips out before pushing back in.

It was slow at first to get Niall used to the sensation. He felt pleasure spout through him like live wires having been cut and spitting out sparks of electricity.

The room began to fill with a thousand moans, their dry skin now slick with sweat as they worked together.

Niall rolls his hips back onto his boyfriend wanting to speed up the process. He needed to feel more of him, needed to feel all of him.

There are beads of sweat matting their already wet hair, dripping down their foreheads as they continue their steady rhythm of mingling together, becoming whole. They were both two broken halves. Niall had never been quite whole after Sean and his dad. Louis had never been quite whole dealing with the pressure and struggles of school and being the ‘man’ in the house, but together they made one.

Louis’ thrust grew sloppy as he stopped thinking and just moved. His hands clutched at his hips. Niall’s blunt fingernails scratched down his back moaning.

Then Louis hit it, that one spot that would drive Niall crazy and finally understand what made sex so good but this was just special.

Their heads were thrown back, their moans mixing together into one resonating huff of pleasure.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Louis moaned out. Niall grunted, rolling his hips down although the way his cheeks seemed to flush redder than the rest of his skin showed that he couldn’t help but blush from the compliment.

Their bodies rocked against one another, the bed moving with them.

Louis was pushing til the hilt, repeatedly brushing Niall’s Achilles’ heel. The blonde threw his head back, eyes glazed over, pleasure flooding through him so fast he could see stars.

“Lou…”

He groaned out before his hips shuttered, thick ropes of cum splattering against Louis’ sun kissed chest and abdomen.

At the sight of the absolutely vulnerable face Louis felt his stomach coming to tatters, exploding inside of Niall, filling him to the brim with his seed.

The Doncaster lad collapsed next to the blonde and pulled his pale back against his tan torso.

They both manage to catch their breath, coming down from their orgasms.

Niall snuggled his back further into Louis chest, the blonde starting to drift off, the exhaustion from the day and their latest activity getting to him.

Louis traced Niall’s tattoos with his fingertips, smiling lazily.

They may come from two different worlds. Louis came from the world of sports, footie, and athleticism. Niall came from the world of moshing, rock concerts, and tattoos.

They did come from opposite spectrums and often times their worlds collided, they clashed.

But they loved each other. So you could say it was a passionate clash.


End file.
